The Virtuous Day
by SkyeSoul
Summary: What if Merlin had detected the amulet Morgana planted, and Uther survived that day - changing Arthur's opinion on magic forever. Eventual Reveal!Fic, reveal of something or other in every chapter. Follows the plot of the tv show with this one critical change.
1. Chapter 1: The Wicked Day

**This time Merlin noticed the amulet. He wasn't caught up in his emotions and noticed the amulet Morgana placed around Uther's neck.**

"Hmm," Merlin said, disguised as Dragoon walking into the bedroom. "Morgana has been here I see." He felt the dark enchantments on the amulet the moment he approached Uther's body.

"What do you mean?" Arthur said worriedly.

Merlin walked over and ripped the amulet from Uther's neck. "Morgana has somehow placed this amulet here. It is meant to reverse my healing magic," he mused. He turned to Arthur, seeing a chance to make an impression about Aggravaine. "It seems you have a spy in your ranks." He handed the plain amulet to Arthur.

Arthur's eyes widened as he filed away the amulet, and the knowledge. There were only a few he told about his plans. Merlin, Gaius, and Aggravaine. But this was a problem for later. Right now, he had a sorcerer _in his father's chambers. _How could Arthur trust that this old sorcerer wasn't fooling him? He still had his doubts about the incident with the poultice as Gwen and he were actually in love, but that did not complete trust make.

Arthur hunched over the bed silently while Merlin did his work. "Wait," he said Dragoon, worried.

"Is something wrong?" Merlin sincerely asked.

"My father has taught me never to trust magic and now I'm using it to save him." He spoke with great conflict in his eyes.

Merlin merely looked at Arthur. "Your own life has been saved using magic more times than you can possibly imagine," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. To Merlin, and just about everyone outside of Camelot, it was.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Arthur asked quietly, utterly confused.

Merlin realized his mistake, and covered up his tracks. "I merely mean to say that magic is all around you - it is woven into the very fabric of the world."

Arthur looked at nothing in particular, asking advice. "How can I be sure it's the right thing to do?" Merlin marveled at this open, emotional side of his prince and best friend.

Merlin looked compassionately at Arthur, coming off as a wise old man. "I know you have suffered because of magic," Merlin paused, looking grief-stricken, "as many have. And not all magic, and not all sorcerers, are the same." Arthur looked at Merlin as a dying man would at water, hanging on his every word, wishing so desperately to believe the words the old man was saying. "I wish only to show you that magic can be used for good." Merlin smiled, full of hope. "I hope, one day, you will see me in a different light."

Arthur looked at his father, the conflict evident in his eyes. He looked back at Merlin, his decision made. Arthur was never a man to waver, and stood tall to allow Merlin to do his work.

Merlin nodded, sincerely grateful at his acceptance. He held the smoking herbs and incanted, "Efencume ætgædre, eala gastas cræft ige: gestrice þis lic forod." [Oh, spirits, assemble together your skill: mend this broken body.] Arthur looked positively terrified at Merlin's old and echoing incantation as he waved the herbs over Uther's body.

Uther gasped as he woke, and Arthur immediately bent over Uther, whispering "Father," as he awoke. Uther did not notice Merlin standing there as he turned to Arthur.

"Arthur," he breathed, glad to see him. Arthur began laughing with joy to see his father well again. Merlin smiled to see the joy between them, and the good he'd done in this broken family. He slipped out the door and left Arthur to rejoice with his father, drinking the potion and removing the overrobe in an alcove nearby the chambers. He stowed the overrobe away under his shirt, and headed down to the physicians chambers to put it away before going to see Arthur.

He walked into the chambers, and saw Gaius waiting for him, kept up with anxiety. Merlin's face broke out into a smile. "Gaius," he exclaimed, "I did it!"

Gaius smiled as well. "My boy, I knew you could." He met Merlin with a hug, embracing his ward tightly for the victory.

Merlin broke away, running up to his room. "I must go greet him, I mustn't be gone too long. And besides, I have to help Arthur with a cover story for Uther." He ran back downstairs just as quickly.

"Wait," Gaius called to him before he left the room. "Will you tell him?"

Merlin's smile disappeared for a moment. "Not yet," he said, suddenly struck with fear at the prospect. Merlin ran off before Gaius could get him to reply.

He was back up at Uther's chambers within seconds, and sat himself outside the room waiting for Arthur's emergence. He could hear well the conversation from behind the thick doors, at this silent hour of the night.

"It is a miracle you recovered so well," Arthur said, sounding relieved. Merlin could not make out Uther's reply.

"I'm just glad you're alive." Arthur sounded so relieved and happy, the smile could be heard

"I need my rest now, son," Uther said to Arthur. "And you do as well. I will be here in the morning."

Merlin scooted away from the door as he heard Arthur make his farewells to his father. He stood outside Uther's view outside the doors as Arthur walked through. "How'd it go?"

Arthur turned to Merlin, and asked him furtively, "Where did the sorcerer go?"

Merlin looked down the hall. "He said he'd escape on his own," Merlin offered lamely. Arthur looked down the hall as well.

"I hope he makes it out all right," Arthur said. "He has shown me…" Arthur's voice trailed off, and looked at Merlin intently. "He has shown me quite a lot." Merlin smiled happily. "I'm glad, sire." Arthur nodded. "Shouldn't you be getting to your chambers?" Merlin said to Arthur.

Arthur nodded, and the pair set off for his room. When they got there, neither prepared to go to bed, and instead Arthur sat up at his table and Merlin sat next to him. They sat in silence a long time, a myriad of emotions crossing the young prince's face.

"I'm surprised you were so open to the idea," Arthur said after a long while. "You have always been the most afraid of magic among us."

Merlin was surprised, and his face showed it. "What makes you say that?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow and turned to Merlin. "You quake in terror at the mere mention of it," Arthur said as if it were obvious. Merlin resented that that's how he came off, although he knew that it was a very reasonable conclusion in Arthur's position.

Merlin just shook his head and let the silence continue. A little later, Arthur spoke up again. "He told me, magic has saved my life more times than I can possibly imagine," Arthur said. "What do you think he meant by that?"

Merlin turned to look at Arthur. "This sorcerer was willing to come and save your father's life… perhaps there are some that have been willing to save yours in the past." His voice carried his rarely-seen wisdom, making Arthur pause and realize the real gravity of the statement. The statement that Arthur now saw was likely truth.

"He said it as if he didn't mean to," Arthur noted. "He tried to cover it up, said some junk about magic being woven into the fabric of the world. He's not very eloquent man for being an all-powerful sorcerer." He spoke with a touch of humor, turning his head away.

Merlin scoffed internally. "That would make me even more inclined to believe it," Merlin said.

"What kind of name is Dragoon the Great, anyway," Arthur said dismissively.

"Well, it sounds like a fake name to me," Merlin said before he stopped himself.

"What makes you say that?" Arthur asked, turning to Merlin.

"Well…" Merlin began. _Go big or go home,_ he thought. "Sounds a bit like the great dragon, don't you think?" Merlin said.

Arthur grunted affirmatively in response. "Well whoever he is, I am indebted to him." Arthur stood up, and walked over to his screen. "And that is enough for tonight. Help me out of my chainmail, and we can both go to bed."

Merlin walked over and obliged Arthur, and as soon as his master was ready for bed he headed downstairs himself. Arthur certainly had his fair share to mull over tonight, and because of that Merlin did as well.

—

Arthur woke the next morning, the deal he made with the sorcerer weighing on his mind.

"_All I have ever wanted is that people like me can live in peace. That those who practice magic are accepted, rather than hunted. That is all I ask. That is the price of your father's life."_

And Arthur replied.

"_I give you my solemn word. When I am King, things will be different. You will not have to live in fear."_

But now the doubts began to plague Arthur's mind in the early morning. Would there be more like the doddery old man who saved his father's life? Or would there simply be chaos like his father claimed there was before his birth.

Arthur deemed it lucky he was not yet King, and let those problems pass from his mind. Merlin chose that moment to burst through the door, and he stopped stock still when he said "You're already awake."

"I haven't been for long," Arthur said from where he lay. Merlin set about opening the curtains and getting his clothes for the morning. Arthur broke out into a smile as he remembered his father was alive and well. But his face fell as he remembered at what price.

"What's got you, Arthur," Merlin asked inquisitively, ripping the warm covers from Arthur's bed and exposing him to the cold. Normally, this would have evoked a response from Arthur, but not today.

"I promised the old man I'd restore magic to the kingdom when I am King," Arthur said bluntly.

"Why is this a problem?" Merlin asked just as bluntly. Arthur responded to this by looking at Merlin as if he were a moron.

"It's magic," Arthur said slowly. "It's evil."

Merlin looked at Arthur. "The sorcerer just demonstrated last night that it's not." He grabbed Arthur's hand and launched him standing upright and put Arthur's tunic on, since he was clearly demonstrating no desire to do it himself. Halfway through, Arthur realized what was going on and jerked away from Merlin, clothing himself.

"I thought you hated magic," asked Arthur arrogantly.

"Have you ever bothered to consult me about that?" Merlin shot right back, throwing Arthur's trousers at him.

"Why else would you be so nervous at the mention of it?" Arthur asked. Merlin stopped stock still for a second. He could tell Arthur now, tell Arthur it was him all along. He already knew he would accept magic when the time came.

Merlin knew he should tell him now, so that there could be no more lies and no more pain. He knew lying to Arthur this long would already cause him enough. But he couldn't bring himself to do it; the first thing he'd ever been too terrified to do.

"I'm afraid of everything," he joked weakly, after a long and awkward pause. True to Arthur, he looked at Merlin as if he were the most insane man he'd ever met.

"But all of this is a long time away, since my father is alive and well," Arthur said decisively. "Come on, lets go greet the day."

Arthur and Merlin went to the King's chambers to find him sitting by the window as per usual, Gwen attending to his needs.

"Arthur!" Gwen said happily. "He's recovered miraculously!" Uther turned his head in his chair, and smiled when he saw Arthur, climbing out of his chair. "My son," he said happily, giving Arthur a rare hug. Merlin and Gwen stood by the entrance, and left when Uther embraced Arthur, giving the two their privacy.

"It's miraculous how he survived," commented Gwen as they stood outside. "He was on death's door." They set off walking to the kitchens to perform their chores.

"Miraculous things happen all the time," said Merlin. "Sometimes we just don't see it."

Gwen looked at Merlin incredulously, her mouth hung slightly open and her brows coming together. "You baffle me, Merlin," she said affectionately, shaking her head and walking her own way. Merlin set about his own chores, wondering what the future would hold for he and Arthur now.


	2. Chapter 2: Revelations

"We're going hunting!" Arthur exclaimed to Merlin as he was given his breakfast. He dug in with much fervor.

"Really?" Merlin whined, picking up Arthur's laundry. "Do we have to?"

"No, but I want to." Arthur declared. "Besides, you enjoy it on some level, I know you do."

"Oh really," Merlin said with more than a tinge of doubt in his voice. He did like the break from Camelot sometimes, but hadn't admitted it to himself, let alone Arthur.

"Really. I thought we'd leave after I've finished breakfast - I cleared it already with my father." He said this with an absolute sincerity.

"I appreciate how you asked if it was okay with me as well." Merlin pointed out to his master.

"Well of course it was," Arthur said as if it was the most logical thing in the world. "What else are you going to be doing?" Merlin reeled at the arrogance in that statement - the arrogance to presume he had nothing better to be doing with his entire life than attending to Arthur while he killed innocent animals.

"You're a real prat," Merlin said humorously to Arthur. It may have been rude of him, but was hardly abnormal behavior.

"And you can even ready the horses," Arthur declared as if he was handing out a prize. "I'll see you in the courtyard," he said, standing up and giving Merlin his plate. Merlin merely rolled his eyes and walked out the door.

An hour or so later and Merlin was packed for a multi-day adventure with him and Arthur, his horse Freya waiting alongside Arthur's war-horse. Last year Arthur had finally let him name the horse that he and only he rode, and he named it after the druid girl he knew so long ago. The mare had a dark coat and thin frame, not unlike both Merlin and Freya themselves. However, the mare's speed more than made up for anything lost in strength.

Arthur mounted his stallion, kicking its side as the two sped away towards the forest. Before long, they were riding through the countryside of Camelot. It had been a couple weeks since Uther's recovery, and the kingdom was back to usual. Arthur did not worry about the day-to-day runnings of the kingdom, and instead spent his time going on hunts and training the days away.

Arthur had also said nothing more about his promise to the old sorcerer, but the weight it cast on Arthur's mind was there for Merlin to see. He analyzed and over-analyzed every incident with magic, and he reminded Merlin of Morgana from so long ago. The Morgana who was grieved to see the innocent put to death, the Morgana who had a better heart than anyone. But Arthur's stress was visibly melting away at riding through the forest.

"I was thinking we'd head north of the white mountains," Arthur said. "The game for deer is excellent out there this time of year."

"That's a days ride!" Merlin exclaimed. "We'll be gone for a week."

"It will be worth it when I have a buck to show for the kitchens," he said proudly.

"It's not like the kitchens need it," Merlin sniped back. "They have enough food to fead an army - literally."

"Who would you have me give the food to?" Arthur asked.

Merlin was silent for a moment. "Throw a feast for the townspeople," Merlin offered. "The poor always need the food, and with the King and the kingdom so healthy it is ample cause for celebration."

Arthur looked at Merlin. "If you can manage not to whine during this trip, I will gladly give my kill to the city. I'll catch a lot more if you're not whining," He said jokingly.

"Fine," Merlin agreed. "I won't whine during this whole trip."

Arthur looked at Merlin disbelievingly. "Yeah, right," he said smiling.

—

It was a day or so later that they were deep in the northern forests, Arthur having spent most of the day following an unfortunate buck through the forest. Merlin was doing his best not to trample through the forest and create undue noise, and this cut down a little on his usual disturbances. Arthur had already managed to bag a doe the other day, left back at the camp in the morning.

The two stood peering around the edge of a boulder, the herd of deer visible in the distance but not yet close enough to reach by bolt. A twig snapped in the distance, and the two of them jerked their heads around to find the noise. They found a herd of soldiers chasing after them, bearing the crest of the kingdom of Caerleon.

"Damnit," Arthur shouted, grabbing the crossbow and running. Merlin ran alongside him, running away from their camp and towards the white mountains.

"We must lose them in the caves," he said to Merlin running close next to him, the knights quick on their heels. Bolts flew past them as they ran, one grazing Merlin's jacket and tearing the shoulder.

_Shit, _he thought, _I'm going to need a new jacket._

They had put little distance between the knights and them when they darted into a cave just out of sight of them. Merlin had thought they made it out in one piece when a bolt flew out from around the corner and pierced Arthur right in the middle of his chest, knocking him out on the spot.

_Shit_, Merlin thought once again with more emotion. He picked up Arthur and dragged him deeper into the caves, praying that the knights wouldn't follow him. Luckily they didn't, and nobody disturbed them as he made camp inside the dark cavern.

"Arthur?" Merlin said in the echoing chamber once they sat down. He shook Arthur, and examined the arrow. He needed to remove it, but examination showed the tip was barbed. He could remove the splinters with magic, but that did not guarantee he could heal the wound itself, and Arthur was losing a lot of blood.

He tapped Arthur's face to make sure he was completely out. "Arthur?" Merlin said. The whole ordeal reminded him too much of what happened with Taliesin, except that this time Merlin was sure a long-deceased seer wasn't going to save him.

"Þurhhæle dolgbenn," Merlin incanted over Arthur's wound. He felt his magic have little effect and drain him much.

"Prat," Merlin said for nobody's ears. "Licsar ge staðol nu!" He incanted louder and poured magic into the spell, and still it had little effect on Arthur's wound. He remembered the spell Taliesin tried on Arthur.

"Wel cene hole," he said, pouring as much magic as he felt safe into Arthur's wound. The surface closed up like a wound and stopped bleeding, but he could tell that any punctures inside Arthur's body still remained. He would need more powerful magic than he currently knew.

Merlin thought he ought make a fire, but he couldn't leave Arthur here alone to find firewood, especially when Caerleon knights were crawling around outside. Uther would be furious to find the knights had ventured further and further into Camelot's territory; the kingdoms were on the brink of war as it was.

Merlin did his best to keep the wound clean for an hour, hoping to later set out towards Camelot with Arthur. They would not be missing the pair of them for some time, and Merlin knew that made the situation much worse. He was just getting ready to leave when he heard his name being called from the depths of the cave.

"Emrys," echoed off of the chamber walls. Soon, druids came into view from within the caves. "We are here to help."

Merlin laughed momentarily at the sheer convenience of it all, but then he grew serious. "Prince Arthur has acquired a mortal wound, he needs healing."

Iseldir's face came into view in the cave. "Iseldir," Merlin breathed. "It is good to see you well."

He smiled. "And you, Emrys. We will heal Arthur, for a price."

"Name it and it will be done," Merlin said, trusting the druids.

"Our price is that you let us speak to him when he wakes." Iseldir smiled. "Come, we have made our homes in these caves." Another druid walked behind Merlin and incanted "Anhefednes." Arthur lifted into the air behind Merlin, and floated as if on a stretcher.

"What will you talk to him about?" Merlin asked curiously as they walked through the caves, himself and the druids making lights in the palm of their hands.

"That is for the future to show," Iseldir said mysteriously, smiling. "But I must ask you, how much do you know about the legends of Emrys?"

Merlin looked at Iseldir, and back at Arthur as if to verify he was really out. "Not much," he admitted. "Only that I was prophecied to return magic to Camelot with Arthur, and together we'd unite Albion."

Iseldir smiled. "It seems the dragon has put a spin on the legends," he said. "It is vaguely said that you will return magic to the land with him, but they never said alongside him necessarily, and they never said the two of you together would unite Albion - only that you would do it."

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "I don't mind Kilgarrah's version, but why would he do that?" Merlin asked.

"Dragons know many things men don't," Iseldir said. "It may well be that what he said was true." They arrived at the druid camp, and Arthur was laid down on a bed of pillows and shoddy blankets. A druid came up to him, and incanted a healing spell. Arthur breathed in deeply, and settled into a sleep.

"He will sleep for about a night," the druid said. "He will be well when he wakes."

"Thank you," Merlin said to the druid. He merely bowed his head and walked away, leaving Iseldir and Merlin sitting in a corner of the establishment near Arthur's sleeping body.

"That is not all the legends of Emrys and The Once and Future King hold," said Iseldir. "Our legends alone have much more." He pulled out a book. "We have compiled the information here for you, and have taught it to our children for many generations. It is time that we teach it to you," he said, handing Merlin the book.

Merlin flipped through the book, and it was organized by the magical tribes across Albion. "It is the legends of Emrys from every culture," Iseldir clarified. Iseldir then smiled. "They all have the name Emrys in common."

Merlin nodded, and said "Thank you, Iseldir." He nodded and left Merlin alone with Arthur's sleeping figure. Merlin opened the book and began reading, staying up all night with the dusty tome.

He was so engrossed in his reading that he didn't notice Arthur waking up until he said "Where are we, Merlin?"

Merlin quickly set the book in his bag and said, "You were shot in the back by the Caerleon knights. The druids have taken us in and healed you. You would have died without their help."

Arthur looked around at the druids busying themselves with their own business with more than a hint of suspicion in his eyes. It is then that Iseldir rounded a corner and said "Good morning, Prince Arthur."

Arthur cut to the chase. "Why did you save me?" He asked of the druid leader.

"Because you needed it." He said simply. "As you have been told before, not all sorcerers are evil, Arthur."

Arthur opened his mouth, as if he were about to declare he knew that, and then wisely shut it again. "I am greatly indebted to you for your kindness," Arthur said.

"I know that our debts are now even from the rescue of Mordred, but we ask only one more thing in return," Iseldir said. "That our kind may one day roam free, unafraid of persecution."

Arthur smiled regally. "I made that promise to a sorcerer once before for saving my father's life, and I will make it to you again here. When I am king, your kind will be free." Arthur paused. "I see now as I grow older what my father's actions have done to Camelot. I love him with all my heart and he is a great king in many respects, but his blind hatred of magic was not one of them." Arthur stood royally, 100% the Crown Prince he was today and not the supercilious prat he was when Merlin met him. Merlin smiled as he was proud of him.

Iseldir smiled knowingly, as if he already knew of the promise. "We will spread word of your declaration, so that no more sorcerers may attack Camelot with vengeance."

Arthur bowed his head. "Thank you, Iseldir. That is a great service to a kingdom which still persecutes you."

"Knowing that one day it will surely change is easily enough to sway many people who believed they were acting in magic's best interests. Those that are left are black of heart, and their magic is evil whether or not magic itself is."

"Like Morgana," Arthur said.

"Like Morgana," Iseldir agreed.

Merlin remembered what Morgana used to be like, and was struck with a sudden desire to tell Arthur about when she was discovering she had magic. It would be one less secret burdening Merlin, and it was something Arthur was clearly ready to accept. Arthur knowing the truth would only tell Arthur what he already knew in his heart; that it wasn't magic's fault for what happened to Morgana.

"Arthur, can we talk?" Merlin said, before he lost his nerve, nodding towards an alcove in the cave. Arthur looked at him quizzically, but followed him behind an empty tent flap inside the cave, Arthur gesturing to Iseldir for a moment alone with his servant.

"What is it that's so urgent you interrupted that?" Arthur asked impatiently, quietly impressing the weight of the conversation that was happening.

"Morgana wasn't always evil," Merlin said. His voice was strained, as if he was reaching out for acceptance.

"Yeah, I know," Arthur said slowly. "And it pains me to hear it. What are you getting at?"

Merlin swallowed thickly. "Some people are born with magic." He said, trying another tack, hoping to draw these points together

Arthur replied, confusion in his voice. "I am beginning to suspect that, Merlin. I don't know why so many people would practice it when it was illegal otherwise," he said slowly again, as if talking to a child. Arthur looked at Merlin, confused and expectant and noticing Merlin's emotion, wisely not saying anything more to let Merlin speak.

Merlin sat down heavily on a nearby chest. "Morgana came to Gaius when she thought she had magic. Gaius told her she didn't, and tried to keep her quiet to protect her from Uther. She came to me… I told her that she probably did have magic, even though Gaius told me not to, and she and I went to the druids for help."

"I remember the day," Arthur said. "We stormed their camp." He dipped his head and pinched his nose in remembered shame.

Merlin nodded. "They were very helpful for a while…" Merlin's voice shook a little with remembered guilt. "But Morgause got to her… Morgause was full of a desire for revenge, and got Morgana to side with her because they shared a mother. I tried to dissuade her at first, but…" Arthur said nothing, and Merlin continued. "I knew about it all, the whole time, but I couldn't stop her." Merlin put his head in his hands.

Arthur sat down on the stool opposite, his head reeling. "Why didn't you tell me?" Was the first question out of his mouth, but Arthur knew the answer before Merlin said it.

"You would have never believed me," Merlin said quietly. "Not in a million years."

Arthur nodded in agreement. "So how long did you know? About her… betrayal?" He asked quietly, emotion choking his voice at the mention of it.

Merlin drew in a breath. "Since before her disappearance with Morgause. That was no abduction." He shook his head.

"She escaped with Morgause," Arthur said, understanding entering his voice.

"It's likely where she learned how to control her magic," Merlin agreed. "And where she learned to hate Camelot so much." Merlin paused for a second. "Do you remember how she didn't fall asleep in the attack?"

Arthur nodded, trepidation showing on his face at whatever was about to be revealed to him.

"She was the vessel for the sleeping spell, that's why," Merlin said. "I had said at the time we had to destroy the vessel to break the spell, hoping to get Morgana to release the spell herself." He shook his head. "She wouldn't."

"Why did you defend her if that was the case?" Arthur said. "You said Gaius gave her a potion... And how did the sleeping spell get released, then?" He asked, his eyes growing wide at the implication.

"I wasn't sure she cast the spell, and she didn't," Merlin said. "Morgause cast it." Merlin choked up and got emotional, and Arthur had the good sense to remain quiet. "I broke the spell by poisoning Morgana with hemlock." Merlin's voice broke and a tear leaked out of his eye. "The spell broke as she was dying. I told Morgause the poison I used in return for the two of them leaving Camelot, and breaking the spell on the knights of Medhir."

Arthur was silent, as Merlin said the words Arthur already understood.

"It was me that turned her against us, Arthur." Merlin's voice was thick with emotion. "If I hadn't have done that, maybe she'd have seen the right way, turned back on her path, and used her gifts for good. But I ruined that." He looked anywhere but Arthur's eyes. "I've failed you."

"You haven't failed me," Arthur said. "We all failed. We weren't able to stop Morgause from using Morgana, and that falls on everyone's shoulders." The two of them were silent for some time. "I would have done exactly as you did in the situation, you know."

Merlin spoke up. "It doesn't ease the guilt of poisoning a close friend, and holding her as..." The breath left his lungs and the words died in his throat.

Arthur and Merlin were silent for a long time. "Thank you for telling me," Arthur said eventually. "I understand why you kept this secret for so long. Had you told me any earlier, I would have taken it as evidence _all _magic was bad." Arthur frowned. "I can't help but wonder what else has been hidden from me in that interest." He peered at Merlin with steel eyes that betrayed he knew more than he was letting on.

Arthurs gaze had the desired effect, Merlin immediately starting acting suspicious, faltering under the weight of his best friend's eyes. Merlin hated hiding things from Arthur, and he wanted to be able to tell Arthur everything.

"I trust you completely, Merlin." Arthur said. "If you're keeping anything else from me, I trust you have a legitimate reason. And I know you have been hiding things - you're awful at keeping secrets, but short of you coming out and telling me I can't guess what they are." Arthur smiled understandingly.

Merlin's eyes widened as he said, "Thank you sire," the full force of his sincerity behind it. Merlin supposed it was about time Arthur caught onto something, some of the lies Merlin had come up with the years were absolutely pathetic.

"And that tells me you are keeping things from me!" Arthur said, humor leaking into his tone. Merlin's eyes grew serious in response, remembering something else about Morgause Arthur should know.

"There is one other thing you should know about Morgause," Merlin said. "And for this one, I'm personally apologizing to you, sire." Merlin said, dipping his head. Arthur's smile fell as Merlin used the honorary title with his master. "Do you remember when she won the duel against you, and showed you an apparition of your mother?"

Arthur said quietly "Even if it was a lie, I could never forget." His head shot up. "It wasn't a lie, was it." He said, picking up on the tone.

Merlin shook his head no sadly. "I'm so sorry for lying to you, Arthur."

"How do you know?" Arthur asked Merlin, not wanting to believe it. "Morgause could have been lying still, she's certainly capable of it."

Merlin turned his head and looked away. "I confronted Gaius after we returned to Camelot," he said. "Gaius verified it, but he had made a promise never to tell you. He was afraid of what you'd do if you found out."

Arthur remembered what he said to his father that day, and thought perhaps it was a fair concern of Gaius's.

"_I know what you did to my mother," Arthur said angrily. _

"_What are you talking about?" Uther said, bewildered._

"_You were so desperate for an heir, you were prepared to use magic," Arthur accused._

"_Did Morgause tell you this? She's lying," Uther dismissed rather quickly, with all the authority of a father._

"_My mother is dead because of your selfishness and arrogance. Her blood is on your hands - "_

"_No, that's not true," Uther said, "But Morgause would have you believe that - "_

"_This is what fuels your hatred for those who practice magic," Arthur said, disgust curling his upper lip. "Rather than blame yourself for what _you_ did," Arthur took a pause, "You blame them."_

"_You would believe a sorcerer's lies over the word of your own father," Uther insisted. "I can only think that Morgause has enchanted you." _

"_You have hunted her kind like animals," Arthur ground out at his father. "How many hundreds have you condemned to death to ease your guilt?" He asked accusingly. _

"_Those who practice magic will stop at nothing to destroy us, I have only done what is necessary to protect this kindgom!" Uther insisted further, raising his voice._

_Arthur raised his voice yet further to match his father. "You speak of honor, and nobility - you're nothing, but a hypocrite, and a liar!" He practically shouted._

"_I am your King and your father, you will show me some respect!" Uther shouted back at Arthur. _

_Arthur stood stock still, then walked angrily, aggressively towards the King. He came to a standstill in front of his father, and threw his gauntlet down in front of him._

"_Have you lost your mind?" Uther said incredulously. _

"_Pick it up," Arthur insisted._

"_Arthur, I implore you, think about what you're doing," Uther said, abandoning the denial track. It was clear Arthur knew, but Uther knew just as well as Merlin he would regret anything he did while in this emotional state._

"_Pick, it up," Arthur insisted further._

"_I will not fight you," Uther said, standing his ground. _

_Arthur drew his sword right then and there. "If you choose not to defend yourself," he threatened his own father, "I will strike you down where you stand."_

_Uther regarded his son calmly. "You are my son. You would not strike an unarmed man."_

"_I no longer think of myself as your son," Arthur said cooly. _

"_Then strike me down," Uther said, trying to call Arthur's bluff._

_Arthur's emotions fought with themselves for a couple seconds before he swung his sword with lethal intent at his own father. Uther drew his blade with lightning speed to match his sons. _

"_I don't want to fight you," Uther insisted sadly, backing off. Arthur twirled his blade, chasing him. Arthur attacked, a frenzy starting while his father defended himself from his son's anger._

"_Stop this!" Uther insisted, parrying every blow. He continued the fight, face showing disbelief that it was actually happening. Arthur eventually got the best of his father, and held him against the throne with a sword at his neck. _

And then Arthur remembered what it was that Merlin said that made it all stop.

"_Morgause was lying."_

"Why did you say that?" Arthur said into nothing, emptiness seeping into his voice. "That she was lying?" The unspoken accusation hung in the air. _Why would you lie to me? Why would you betray me like that?_

"You were going to murder your father," Merlin said simply. "You would have never forgiven yourself." _I didn't betray you, Arthur._ "And your father wasn't lying either - I found out from Gaius later that neither he nor Nimueh, the high priestess, knew whose life would be taken in payment for creating yours. Uther never meant to harm Igraine."

Arthur ground his hands together, studying them. "I'm so angry with him for lying about my mother, but I believe you and him when he says that he could do nothing to harm her. It is evident he loved my mother more than anything." Arthur then looked at Merlin, a faint smile on his lips. "Thank you for giving me my memories of my mother back." That was the one good thing of this; he now had real and concrete memories of his mother.

Merlin smiled wanly. "Anytime."

Arthur looked away. "I remember what I said that day afterwards to you."

"_It is now clear to me that those who practice magic are evil, and that is thanks to you."_

"I was wrong about magic being evil," he continued to clarify. "It was rather rich of me to say that, seeing as I was born of it," he laughed humorlessly.

"I remember the irony hit me rather heavily when you said it," Merlin said, which wasn't technically a lie. It just wasn't the predominant emotion on his mind.

"Any more secrets you'd like to reveal?" Arthur asked dryly after a pause, his hands on his knees now.

"Not today, no," Merlin said wryly, smiling.

"There really are more?" Arthur asked incredulously, standing up. "That was enough secrets for anyone."

"Those are only the minor ones." Merlin said, raising his eyebrows. Arthur scoffed with mild disbelief. "Well, there is one more." Merlin piped up, standing up as well. "You know how I'm always telling you I've saved your life tons of times?" Arthur stared at him with his traditional disbelief. "I'm not lying."

Arthur looked at Merlin, not as he usually did with humor and lightness, but with a solemnity that was rare to grace the young prince's features. "After what you've told me today, Merlin, I think I might even believe you. That doesn't mean you'll get special treatment though," Arthur said to Merlin, raising an eyebrow as he gestured to Merlin to leave the tent.

As soon as they left the tent, the two of them walked back to find Iseldir. "Thank you for your clemency," Arthur said to the Druid leader. "I must be getting back to my city now, they'll be missing me." It was technically a lie, but while Arthur accepted magic wasn't evil he still wasn't comfortable with it.

"Let us lead you out of the caves," Iseldir said kindly. "and please, do remember what we have done for you here," he implored the prince.

Arthur bowed his head in respect to him. "I will never forget." He promised. Merlin grabbed his bag, and the book it held, and the two of them were led to the mouth of the cave by Iseldir and a handful of Druids.

"You must find your own way from here," Iseldir said solemnly as they reached the entrance to the mountains. The sunlight streamed down through the trees, and it looked to be about midday, having been brought to where they were found.

"We will be able to," Merlin said. "Thank you once again." The druid merely nodded with a smile, and ventured back into the cave, lighting a light in the palm of his hand as he went.

"We must be getting home," Arthur said. He looked at Merlin. "For now, lets let this visit to the druids be a secret between us," Arthur said conspiratorially to Merlin.

Merlin nodded. "Of course." They set out traipsing through the woods, headed back to their original campsite. When they got back, they found the horses and everything still where they were left by some miracle, and headed back with the old kill to Camelot.

—

When they returned, it was evening, all was well, and nobody suspected anything was amiss during their hunting trip. Merlin headed to Gaius's chambers first thing when he got back to Camelot. "Arthur and I saw the druids while we were out," Merlin exclaimed to his mentor. "And you'll never believe what they gave me." He slammed the book down on the table in front of Gaius. "It's a collected work of all the legends surrounding Emrys."

"My lord," Gaius breathed, examining the book. "I've been researching it in my spare time, and I can't seem to find anything mentioning the name Emrys. The traditions were all passed down orally - until now, it seems." He picked up the pole book and examined the pages gently.

"Kilgarrah told me years ago that there is much written about me that I have yet to read," Merlin offered. "Perhaps this is some of it."

Gaius arched his eyebrow. "It would seem that way," he said. "This may be the answer to many mysteries," he said as the two sat down at the table. "And the Druids just gave this to you, did they?"

"Iseldir did himself," Merlin verified. "Said it was 'time for me to know,'" he informed Gaius sardonically, sick of people rationing his knowledge in such a way and at the same time understanding why they did.

Gaius shook his head. "Mysterious bunch, the Druids," he said.

Merlin nodded in agreement. "Arthur also found out some truths while we were gone," Merlin informed Gaius solemnly. "I told him about how I knew about Morgana before she betrayed Uther, and... And I told him Morgause was telling the truth when Arthur met his mother, all those years ago."

Gaius deadpanned, looking at Merlin as if he was insane. Eventually, he settled on saying "He had to find out sometime," as if he here trying to convince himself and not Merlin. Gaius then smiled at his ward. "I'm proud of you for telling him."

Merlin smiled. "He took them both remarkably well. Said he understood why I hid these things, why I did what I did... Maturity has been kind to Arthur," he said patronizingly. "Finally." Gaius only have Merlin an imploring smile to perhaps give Arthur a little more credit as they began to enjoy their supper.

"I am afraid I am honor-bound by Arthur not to share any more details about our escapade, though," Merlin said over soup. "It was secret for only he and I to know," he continued conspiratorially.

Gaius nodded with exaggeration, his eyebrows ascending into his hairline. "I see," was all he said in reply. "I'm willing to bet he assumed you'd tell me anyways." He said wisely.

"But it involved his life being put in danger - as always," Merlin said, indulging himself in a little complaining. "But this time, the Druids saved him instead of me. He promised them as well he'd return magic to the kingdom - I think he's truly warming to the idea that magic is not evil."

Gaius smiled broadly, proud of his ward. "And that's all thanks to you, Merlin," Gaius said in reply. "It is thanks to you, and no one else, that Arthur is beginning to see the good magic can hold." Gaius smiled himself, excited he may live to see the day when magic was restored. "When will you tell him?" Gaius asked him quietly, and Merlin needed no more clarification.

"Not as long as his father is alive," Merlin said sadly. "But Arthur knows I still have secrets to keep, and he said he trusts me completely, despite knowing that there are things I'm keeping from him." Merlin's tone lowered with solemnity. "He trusts me enough to allow me to hide things from him."

Gaius adjusted in his seat. "Arthur is wise enough to know that there are things a servant is privy to that even a prince is not - and he is trying to tell you that he knows this." Merlin shrugged, and forged on with his dinner. "Besides, I doubt he was saying he trusted you so much as simply saying he understood and would strive to continue to," Gaius said, raising his dinner to his mouth. "Not that he doesn't trust you," Gaius added. "He does immensely." Gaius regarded his ward warmly.

Merlin finished up the last of his dinner and said "Well, please excuse me while I stay up all night reading this," he said, taking the book and heading up to his room. "Good night Gaius."

Gaius smiled as he called back, "Good night Merlin."

—

Merlin woke up late for work next morning, the book about himself lying across his chest and Merlin laying on top of his covers. He saw the sun was fully up, and hastily stowed the book under the loose floorboard before darting out of bed, skipping breakfast to get Arthur his meal. When he got up to Arthur's chambers, he saw him with an exceedingly full table and a smug grin on his face.

"You weren't here, so I had to ask one of the more efficient servants to get me my food," Arthur clarified needlessly, "and look what a job they've done!" He exclaimed condescendingly in Merlin's direction.

"You know full well you don't need all this food," Merlin said, gesturing to the selection of 7 different types of sliced meat on a serving platter alone. It was accompanies by several loaves of bread, and entire bushels of grapes and apples. "Your belt certainly doesn't need it," Merlin said, grabbing an apple and taking a bite since he didn't get any breakfast.

"Hey, that's the prince's breakfast!" Arthur exclaimed indignantly at Merlin's taking an apple.

"Tell me you were gonna eat that, really tell me that seriously, and I'll pay for it with the stocks," Merlin jeered in Arthur's direction, munching loudly on the apple while setting about doing his chores.

Arthur looked conflicted for a moment, before he said "I wouldn't have to justify myself to put you in the stocks," pompously.

"Fine, do it," Merlin retorted back, expecting no retribution. It had been years since the stocks were used as bargaining chips between them.

Arthur merely rolled his eyes at Merlin's insolence. "Aren't you forgetting who I _am_?" Arthur asked expectantly, not wanting to concede.

"Fine, do it, _sire,_" Merlin emphasized in the same tone as before.

Arthur sighed. "Please have my nice cloak clean this evening, I'm meeting with my father for a private dinner," he said. "I'll expect you to be there." Merlin knew there was only one thing this could be about.

"You're going to confront him?" Merlin asked quietly, dropping what he was doing and walking over to Arthur. He nodded wordlessly from where he sat at the table. "What if he denies it again?" Merlin asked, sitting down in the chair across from him.

"Then he'll know that I know he's a liar, and that's that." Arthur said simply, not betraying the hurt it would cause him. It was halfway through that sentence that Merlin remembered Uther's threat to him years ago.

_"If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll have you hanged," Uther threatened._

"Arthur, you know I would never ask this of you unless it was really serious, but..." Merlin started uncertainly. "Uther threatened to hang me if I ever spoke about what happened years ago again, and if you go barging in and say I told you the truth it will most certainly be my death sentence."

Arthur heard the seriousness in Merlin's voice, and found himself wishing as he often did lately that his father was not such a tyrannical king. "I don't really know what I'm going to say yet, but I won't lie to my father. Them I'd be just as bad as he is, implicating everyone in his lies." Arthur frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, Merlin. Besides, I'd never let him hang you."

Merlin nodded. "I understand," he said regretfully. "I'll think of something to say to Uther when he comes after me." Merlin turned his head as he cleaned. "That's why I have so many secrets, you know."

"So that I don't have to hide them from my father?" Arthur asked. The excursion at the Druid camp had given Arthur a sense of what that mysterious something was inside of Merlin, and gave him a sense of the depth of the man's secrets. Arthur marveled as how long it had personally taken him to catch on.

"Yes." Merlin looked at Arthur with the utmost seriousness, before standing up to return to his chores.

"You are a loyal friend," Arthur said seriously. "Don't let it go to your head," he then said, smiling broadly as he was met with a piece of old laundry in his face.

"You're one to talk," Merlin shot back, a grin playing across his face as well.

Arthur flung the laundry back at Merlin. "Don't get going, I have a list of chores to give you," Arthur said, rattling off a list of things Merlin needed to do. Merlin noticed that mucking out the stables wasn't on that list.

"What, no mucking the stables out?" Merlin asked Arthur jeeringly.

Arthur waggled a finger in his direction threateningly. "If you're not careful it will be," he said. Then he sighed. "Mucking out the stables isn't technically the prince's manservant's job."

"Yeah," Merlin said slowly. It was something he picked up on during his time in Camelot, and figured Arthur just made him do it because he was a prat.

"Well you shouldn't be seen doing it. It would bring dishonor upon my position," Arthur said, doing his very best to disguise the nice thing he was doing for Merlin.

Merlin, to his credit, merely brightened up and left Arthur alone without one more sniping comment.

—

Arthur was eating dinner with his father that evening, examining the man. The gray in Uther's hair was only highlighted by the shine on the gold crown that he wore. The lines on his face shown easily, and Arthur knew that any other king would have stepped down from the throne to enjoy retired life within the decade. But Arthur knew that this was his father, and he would rule until the day he died, ninety years old or not.

"What's on your mind?" Uther said as Merlin came over and poured him more wine. Merlin turned to Arthur, expectation in his face that could only be seen by him. His eyebrow was raised in a fashion eerily similar to Gaius, and Arthur knew that it probably meant he should get it over with. He sighed as he readjusted in his seat.

"Do you remember when Morgause showed me my mother, and fooled me into thinking you used magic to aid my birth?" Arthur asked as if he had just mentioned the weather.

Uther's eyes betrayed no emotion, and he merely asked "I do. What brings this on, son?"

Arthur's pale blue eyes bored hard into his fathers as he set down his silverware. "She wasn't lying, was she."

Uther paused for a moment to look at his son. "Of course she was!" He said, laughing off the assertion.

"I'm not the boy I was anymore, father, and I am not at all inclined to harm you like I was before. I just want you to be honest with me." His voice was cold but expectant. "I know you never meant your wife any harm."

"I am being honest with you, Arthur, when I say that magic never played any part in your birth at all." Uther's tone was hardened and serious now. "Let's stop saying such things and continue with our dinner."

Arthur wanted to leave it alone, he knew his father would deny it now, but he snapped before he could help himself. "So the great purge just _happened _to start on my birthday?" Arthur asked sardonically.

Uther then shot a glare at Merlin for a second that chilled the man right down to his toes. Merlin would never think about harming Uther for Arthur's sake, but Merlin would never actually go through with doing it because the man _terrified_ him. And now it seemed he pissed him off.

"What on earth has put these ridiculous ideas in your head?" Uther asked harshly. "I thought we laid this to rest years ago."

Arthur sighed, and sent an apologetic glance Merlin's way. But before Arthur could continue, Merlin asked "Should I go?" meekly.

"I think not," Uther growled out.

"Father," Arthur said threateningly, and Uther reluctantly focused his attention on his son. "During our hunting trip, Caerleon's forces attacked us."

"That deep into the kingdom?" Uther asked, astounded. "Those scoundrels!" He exclaimed. "They mean war!"

"Yes, but that's not the central issue right now." Arthur said dismissively. "They chased us very far, but we ended up in a cave in the white mountains. One of their soldiers planted a bow in my back." Arthur sucked in a breath. "Merlin tells me I was near death," he said, gesturing towards Merlin. "The Druids brought Merlin and I to their camp, I unconscious."

"You went into a Druid camp with my son defenseless?" Uther shot at Merlin, shocked. "You fool!"

"He is not, and here's why," Arthur interrupted. "They healed me, like they did Leon all those years ago. Then they let us on our way, without following us or harming us at all." Arthur's eyes hardened. "If they really meant the throne harm, wouldn't they have killed me then?" He asked.

Before giving Uther a chance to reply, he said "But I digress. While I was in their camp, the subject of Morgana and Morgause came about. I noticed Merlin was hiding something, and demanded he tell me," Arthur said, editing the story on the spot a little bit without outright lying, "And he said he was lying."

Uther stood, and Arthur followed suit. Merlin stood there holding a jug of wine, feeling very out of place. "What would you know about the truth of what she was saying?" Uther said condescendingly to Merlin.

Merlin thought quickly on the spot, not wanting to implicate Gaius. "You came to Gaius's chambers afterwards. You were shaken up, anyone could tell you were hiding something when you spoke to me," he said unsurely.

Uther's eyebrows raised and his face became bemused. "You mean to tell me you told him that _on a hunch?_" Uther asked, but then the light entered his eyes. "I know who told you," Uther ground out before he could stop himself. "He had no right - "

"To tell me, not Merlin." Arthur interrupted once again, "So it's true?" He asked expectantly. "You used magic to have an heir?"

Uther swore mentally, realizing he got himself stuck. Merlin in that moment saw the family resemblance between Uther and Arthur strongly, the behavior reminding him so much of when Merlin caught Arthur in a lie.

"She tricked me," he said aggressively to the pair of them. "She did not mean to tell me Igraine would die!"

"But it was the cup of life, you knew someone would!" Arthur raised his voice at Uther. Merlin's worry increased as he saw the situation devolve quickly, and he took a tentative step away from the table. "And you were just okay with that!" He insisted, bringing a hand down on the table.

"Without an heir, the kingdom would fall to ruin Arthur, you know that!" Uther implored his son, bringing his hands into the air.

"My issue is not with the magic," Arthur said, shocking Uther. "My issue is that you started persecuting it in the first place," he said, evenly and with distaste.

"Nimueh was only the first in a long line of sorcerers bent on bringing down the kingdom," Uther shouted. "Surely you see this! You have lived it, for gods sake!" He slammed his fists down on the table.

Merlin set down the jug on the end of the table, and tried to leave the room. "Don't go," Arthur said to Merlin, eyes not leaving his own father.

Merlin looked at the awkward situation. Uther's bulging eyes centered on Merlin's face, while Arthur kept his gaze trained on the king. Their poses spoke of anger, while Arthur's specifically held a royalty that Merlin thought would suit him greatly as king. He saw the full power Uther wielded as the current king, and feared for his safety after this argument.

"Why?" He asked weakly.

Arthur glanced at him one more time, and that all it took for the servant to stay. Uther seemed too distracted to care whether Merlin was there. The king quickly took advantage of the silence. "Sorcerers, and those who practice magic, will stop at nothing to see our kingdom destroyed," Uther said with gravity, believing he had reminded his son.

"No," Arthur said, defiance written all over his features. "It is you who will stop at nothing to destroy them." His eyes hardened into anger. "In my short life, I have met sorcerers who want nothing more than to live unmolested, and some even went so far as to help the Pendragons, the ones who would see them executed!" Arthur's voice crescendoed as he spoke. "How could you not see this! I will uphold your laws as long as you live," Arthur found himself saying, "But when I am king, things will be different." Arthur went to leave, Merlin following him instinctually.

Merlin's heart leapt at Arthur's words, although he was shocked at their content. Before he walked out of the room, he turned to Uther and said "And I won't let you lay a hand on Merlin." Then the two walked out of the room, leaving Uther alone.

As soon as the door shut, Merlin turned to Arthur and raised his eyebrows, letting out a big sigh. Arthur followed suit in agreement, walking down the hall towards... Anywhere but the council room.

"So where'd that come from?" Merlin asked, stunned by his final words in the room with his father.

"I may have gotten a little away from myself," Arthur admitted, "but I meant what I said. When I am King, things will be different. I hope you're okay with that," Arthur said wryly, turning to Merlin. His tone spoke of confidence, and by the way Arthur held himself Merlin knew he really meant what he said.

Merlin's heart was rising up into his chest at the same time a lead weight settled into his stomach. He was so happy to hear Arthur say those words in such definitive terms, but at the same time it meant the line was now getting vague on whether or not he could tell Arthur about who he truly was. Admittedly, he had dreamed about this moment. He had spent too much time lately imagining all the ways it could have gone, imagining the ways he could overreact mostly, and now when the time came close he couldn't imagine actually doing it.

"Oh don't have a heart attack," Arthur joked at Merlin, seeing him react. "I truly believe returning magic to the kingdom will be a good thing. No need to act like it will be awful." Arthur's face furrowed though, and Merlin knew that this was a worry Arthur had. Best comfort Arthur to distract from himself.

"It will be good for the kingdom," Merlin said sincerely. "There is much good magic could bring to the people of Camelot."

Arthur raised an eyebrow as he looked at Merlin. "And how would you know that?" Arthur asked. Merlin's face took on the appearance of someone scrambling for a cover and Arthur said "You know what, nevermind," Arthur shook his head. "For someone with a lot of secrets, you're certainly awful at lying," Arthur laughed. "I'm quite shocked I never noticed you were hiding something before."

Merlin felt a ray of happiness at not needing to lie to Arthur anymore, at least to cover up his other lies. The time would come for Arthur to know everything about him soon enough, just as Gaius always said.

After Merlin got Arthur settled for the evening and ensured he needed nothing else from him, he headed back down to the physicians chambers to talk to Gaius about what he'd read last night - and what had transpired today between Arthur and his father.

When he got to the door, he heard Uther inside talking to Gaius. He stood by the door to overhear the conversation.

"How could you do that?" Uther aggressively said. "I trusted you!"

"I told Merlin, and the boy had already figured it out for himself," Gaius insisted. "Had I denied it he would have seen right through me."

"It was still not your place," Uther hissed at the physician.

"Not my place?" Gaius asked incredulously. "You only made the information secret after Igraine died! For nine months, everyone knew you had consulted Nimueh! There are still older people in the town that know, let alone your own son!"

"It is not your place!" Uther snarled at Gaius.

"Uther!" Gaius snapped at the king, using his given name. It was enough to give him pause to think about what he was saying.

Uther straightened up with offense, and said "If you or the boy give me any reason to suspect anything, I will have him hanged."

Gaius looked at Uther as one would at a toddler who threw a temper tantrum as he headed for the door. Merlin packed, and threw himself in an alcove just as Uther walked through the door, and Merlin managed to hide without the king knowing. He walked through the physicians chamber door, shock on his face.

"So you heard?" Gaius asked.

"Yeah," Merlin said sighing. He raised his eyebrows out of shock.

Gaius looked around conspiratorially, then said "I know I shouldn't be telling you this, but I think the king is losing his nerve." He sat down wearily.

"What makes you say that?" Merlin asked Gaius.

"First Morgana, and just after he got over it, now this?" Gaius pointed out. "Uther told me what Arthur said just before he stormed out," his eyebrows raised, impressed.

Merlin merely nodded. "Yeah," he said, amazed by Arthur's words in the council chambers.

After a couple moments of silence, Merlin spoke up again. "I came to tell you about the fight they had, which you already heard, and..." Merlin paused. "To tell you about what that book said."

"The one the Druids gave you?" Gaius asked immediately, very curious about the matter.

"The Legends of Emrys, yeah," Merlin said. "I didn't get through a lot last night, it is a thick book, but I read the legends of the northern sorcerers at the northern most part of our continent," Merlin said. "They speak of a great warrior sorcerer who could rise or raze kingdoms at the blink of an eye, a warrior who would return magic to the lands of Albion in whatever way they choose." Merlin sighed. "The way the book wrote it, I basically had a choice between working together with Arthur or killing him and taking over Camelot." Merlin smiled, amused. "Basically I'm the only one who could successfully take over Camelot, and yet Morgana has dedicated her life to trying."

Gaius raised his eyebrow. "Prophecies can be defied," he said warningly.

"Yeah, but that incident with the crystal cave showed me that it's damn hard." Merlin said in response.

"In any case," Gaius said, "Rise or raze kingdoms?" He asked, amazed and smiling. "Looking at the skinny fool before me, I hardly find it possible." His gaze was full of affection.

"Well, I do know this," Merlin said, "That whenever I use my magic, I use less than a fraction of it. And even the tiniest amounts is so powerful - I've never dared delve into it deeper." Merlin cast his eyes away from Gaius in shame. "I've been afraid to."

"Rightly so," Gaius said promptly. "Uther is right about this; such power can corrupt people easily." He smiled at his ward warmly. "Magic clearly chose right when it chose you."

Merlin looked at Gaius disbelievingly. "One of the legends even spoke of a sorcerer Emrys who could see the whole of the earth, and stop it's celestial turn." He said this disbelievingly as well, clearly not trusting this legend.

Gaius's eyebrows hit his hairline in shock at what he had just heard. "Astral projections are a talent most sorcerers are capable of to some extent, but never for such distances," he said, immediately tutting. "And magic enough to stop the earth?" Gaius shook his head.

"What are astral projections?" Merlin asked inquisitively.

"To project yourself in such a way, you would need to fall into a trance and your spirit leaves your body," Gaius said. "The distance you can go and how much you perceive depends on your talent and skill as a sorcerer. They are great ways for sorcerers to be spies, as your spirit is not detectable by the living." Gaius frowned at Merlin, knowing the boy would surely get ideas. "There is a great risk involved, however, since you leave your body completely uninhibited and defenseless while you do so. There are also the rare cases where people cannot bond with their bodies again," Gaius said seriously. "It is not to be taken lightly." His eyes pierced his ward with concern.

"Of course," Merlin said. "I have very little desire to idly try this." His voice was sincere and Merlin truly meant it.

"You say that now," Gaius said dryly, standing up. "There's only so long a young man will wait to try new and interesting things, _especially _if an old prophecy says he can." Gaius gave Merlin a piercing look and raised one of his eyebrows.

Merlin put both his hands up in defeat. "I won't!" He justified. Gaius got back to his work with a look of extreme skepticism on his face. Luckily, Arthur chose that moment to come in through the door.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked brusquely, seeing him sitting at the table. "Lets go," he said, gesturing to Merlin and walking through the door.

"Where are we going?" Merlin asked as they walked through the halls, Arthur in front and his pace hurrying along Merlin. Something was clearly on the prince's mind.

"Training!" Arthur informed Merlin. Merlin knew very well that he didn't need to be there, but the fact that he was requesting Merlin meant there was something more to this than beating a straw man to death - especially since it was raining this evening.

After a couple more moments of silent walking, Merlin decided to bite the bullet, as he didn't want to stand outside in the rain. "Anything on your mind?" He asked concerned.

Arthur looked around a couple of seconds, trying to pointedly ignore the comment, but ended up saying "I suppose there is," in defeat. Arthur slowed his pace and looked at Merlin, now walking next to him. "I am beginning to doubt my decision concerning magic," he said, lowering his voice at the last syllables. "My father has decades of experience as king behind his belt, and I am nothing more than crown prince - what would I know?" He asked, true worry showing.

Merlin supposed that this is what he'd been worrying about for the last couple weeks during his prolonged silence about the subject. "You have made the right decision, Arthur," he reassured his friend. "And I think if you ask just about _anyone _other than your father they'd agree with you," he said.

"How would you know that?" Arthur asked his servant, raising an eyebrow as they walked.

"Why don't you ask them?" Merlin asked, pointing at the training field.

The knights of the round table who were milling about alone on the wet training fields. They looked as if they were waiting for the two of them to show up, and when they did Gwaine exclaimed "Boys, you're finally here!"

Leon smiled. "We heard you and the king had a row, and Gwaine thought we could drag you to the tavern," he said with some skepticism.

"And you showed up here, like we knew you would," Gwaine said jovially. It seemed Merlin was not the only person who knew Arthur's habits.

Arthur looked back at Merlin, eyebrows pinched forward and eyes imploring, as if he did not want to do what he was about to do, and then said "Not tonight, Gwaine, but there is something I'd like to talk to the round table about," he said. "Come on, lets go inside." He gestured towards the armory, and the 4 knights plus Merlin and Arthur went inside.

"Sire?" Elyan asked after they stood in silence for a couple seconds. Arthur blew air out of of his mouth, and then started.

"For this story to make sense, I have to start on the night my father almost died, a couple weeks ago," Arthur said. "When he was lying on his deathbed, and then made a miraculous recovery. As it turns out, that was no miraculous recovery."

The knights all raised their eyebrows questioningly.

"The night before, I had asked Merlin to help me with something. I could not bear to lose my father… I asked him to help me find a sorcerer to heal the king." Arthur stopped in silence to give the knights a chance to react.

Leon stood stock still in shock, completely floored by the lawlessness of his prince, and Elyan too was the picture of betrayal. However, the rest of the crew (which had _not _lived in Camelot their entire lives) seemed as if this was perfectly normal apart from the fact that magic was outlawed here.

Gwaine, for his part, even casually asked "What caused the change of heart, sire? About magic?"

Arthur tutted about for a couple of seconds before saying, "I've been hunting sorcerers and those who practice magic my entire life. I am not as unobservant as some would think," he said, looking disdainfully at Merlin.

Merlin had a miniature panic attack in that couple seconds, laughing nervously as he was wont to do. For a split second, the awful thought struck him that Arthur had mathed out his secret and was going to reveal him right here and now, before he realized that he was being paranoid and merely giving Merlin crap.

Arthur gave Merlin a look of grief, before continuing, "…and I have noticed that every sorcerer that has attacked us, we attacked them first. That Camelot had done them a wrong, and they were responding in kind." Arthur sighed, and put his hands on his hips. "That does not make it right, but it is understandable," he said.

"And for those who I attacked first," Arthur said, "I had, for the most part, conceived of no other guilt than their being users of magic. Very often, they were tradesman or travelers who used magic for mundane things like making stronger thread or more plump livestock. For years now, I've been beginning to suspect not all magic is bad," Arthur said. "I've even told my father this every now or then, but he continues to insist that this is not the case." Arthur waved his hand in frustration with his father.

"So I recruited an old sorcerer, the same one caught planting the poultice, incidentally."

Leon looked aghast. "So you went and found a sorcerer who had been previously convicted of sorcerery against _you_?" he said, shocked and disbelieving.

Arthur looked at Leon skeptically. "It is true, he was caught planting a poultice to make Gunivere and I fall in love," Arthur said slowly, "But Gunivere and I were _already_ in love. Why, then, would he go to such lengths?" He asked Leon. "It is almost as if he was taking the fall for Gunivere." he said suspiciously to Leon.

Leon was silenced, but still very skeptical of the whole situation. Merlin, for his part, was proud of Arthur for figuring this all out on his own, and a smile split his face. Perhaps his distaste of 'Dragoon' was due to his disguise being an annoying old man, and not any actual perception of guilt.

"I brought him into Camelot, and had him heal my father in the dead of night." Arthur declared.

Leon put his head in his hands and muttered despairingly, "You used magic on the king." Elyan as looked as if he'd just been told to slay a dragon singlehandedly.

Arthur forged on. "Before doing so, he even discovered a magical amulet around my father's neck, designed to reverse any healing magic." His face turned into anger. "Someone found out my plan, and tried to kill him using the old man's magic. And the only people I told were Merlin, by extension Gaius, and Aggravaine."

The knights became suspicious again, and they all understood the unsaid implication; of all of those people, Aggravaine would be the most likely traitor, loathe they were to believe it.

"I have began withholding and monitoring information that makes it's way to him as best I can," Arthur said, "But it's been difficult since my father trusts him implicitly. And I can hardly tell him why Aggravaine is now under suspicion anyways," he said. "So, please keep your eye on the man," he said, and then turned to Gwaine to say "As _subtly_ as you can."

Gwaine adopted a facial expression of mock offense, which Arthur promptly ignored. "But that is not the end of my story. The old sorcerer healing my father," Arthur took a deep breath, "Served only to make my doubt of my father's ways stronger. I had promised him I would free magic when I was king, and I was considering whether or not to keep that promise. I was still undecided, until Merlin and I went on the hunting trip we did a couple days ago." Arthur nodded to Merlin, as if it was his turn to tell part of the story.

"We were ambushed by the troops of Caerleon, as you all know," Merlin said. They did know; patrols in the kingdom had been increased tenfold, anticipating a march or war from the kingdom in the north.

"But what was left out was that Arthur received a life-threatening injury, a bolt right in his back. I don't know if Arthur would have made it, except for the druids. They took us in, and healed Arthur completely with magic."

Leon's frustration now took target with Merlin, but he remembered how he himself had been healed by the druids with the cup of life. He didn't say anything, understanding why someone may trust the druids in particular.

"That was the day I decided that not all magic was bad, and that when I was king it would be re-legalized," Arthur said. "But what really cemented that belief was something Merlin told me at the druid camp." Arthur looked at Merlin before continuing. "He told me that Morgana did not study magic; it asserted itself, if you will, and she began to become frighted by it. You all remember the nightmares she had," Arthur clarified. "She had visions of the future, I think; she would often warn me about things before they happened." Arthur sighed regretfully. "She went to Gaius for help, but Gaius feared what may happen to her if she knew she had magic and hid the truth from her. Merlin overheard, and tried to help her." Arthur looked at Merlin, knowing he'd tell the story the best.

"I took her to the druids, and she was being helped. But when the camp was stormed looking for her, and people killed because of her, it only solidified her hate of Uther's policies against magic," Merlin said. "She never liked them before, but now she had a personal stake. That is when Morgause found her, and they began to talk in secret, and I knew something was up with Morgana. It was secret still, until they attacked Camelot with the Knights of Medhir. That's when I knew Morgana had betrayed us."

The company nodded, remembering what little they could of the incident. "Morgana never fell asleep. The enchantment, cast by Morgause, was bound to her. To end the enchantment, Morgana's life had to be threatened." Merlin's breath rattled, getting to the part he was dreading. "I poisoned Morgana, and the enchantment ended. I didn't want to do it, but if I didn't Camelot would surely fall." Merlin said, trying to justify himself to his friends. "I told Morgause the poison used in return for her releasing the Knights of Medhir. She did, and the two of them spirited away. It looked like Morgause abducted her, but Morgana was in league with her the whole time."

The knights looked at Merlin with empathy, Merlin still carrying around the guilt of what he did. Gwaine grabbed Merlin's arm heartily, expressing camaraderie.

"We would have done the same thing," Leon said to Merlin. It meant a lot, coming from the knight who held affection for the lady of the court, once.

"I told him the same thing," Arthur said, clapping the man on the shoulder. "That story convinced me it wasn't magic that turned people to evil, but the same things it has always been, the same things that turn a man to murder. Anger, sin, a desire for revenge…" he trailed off, shaking his head.

"And Merlin told me one other thing, the thing that got me into a fight with my father." Arthur sighed deeply, wondering what the company would think of him after this. "The great purge started exactly on my birthday," he said to inform the company. It was generally believed the great purge started long before Arthur's birth, although the official date was never particularly discussed. "And here is why. My father and mother had trouble conceiving," Arthur said, which was generally known, "And they sought treatment for it. When no natural treatment worked, my father consulted a high priestess, Nimueh, to help him have me. The magic says that for a life to be made, a life has to be given in tribute. Uther agreed, and neither he nor Nimueh knew what life would be taken in return. When it ended up being my mother's, Uther accused Nimueh of seeking to destroy the crown. My mother's death started the great purge."

The company, all of them, were aghast at the notion of Uther Pendragon ever allowing sorcery, let alone using magic to help him have a child. "Oh my lord," Elyan said in shock.

"Oh my lord, indeed," Arthur said. "I had been told this once before, by Morgause, many years ago. I attacked the king out of anger and betrayal, aghast that he would be so stubborn and blind as to put hundreds of innocent people to death. Merlin then told me, at the time," Arthur said, looking at the nervous Merlin. "That Morgause was lying." Arthur let Merlin stick up for himself on this one.

"You remember the fight, Leon, we could hear it outside," Merlin said. "Arthur would have killed Uther if I didn't stop him, and I tried reasoning - it was the only way. Neither Gaius nor myself corrected him for a long time because we were afraid he'd act out like that again."

Arthur gestured to Merlin. "But when I promised the druids that I would bring magic back to the kingdom, like I did that old sorcerer, Merlin felt that he could finally tell me." Arthur accidentally laden that statement with resentment, resentment Merlin immediately noticed.

"I confronted my father about it again, this time with reason and discourse," Arthur began.

"Mostly," Merlin interrupted. Arthur shot him a look but said nothing.

"He denied it as long as he could, but eventually he trapped himself and admitted the truth. To this day, he sincerely believes Nimueh and all magic users are out to get him still. I told him my decision; while he was king I would uphold his laws, but when I was king, I would free magic users from this tyranny." Arthur put his hands out, indicating defeat. "And that brings us to now."

"Wow," Elyan said.

"Wow." Leon agreed. The two others looked on with a minor amount of amusement, Percival outright grinning.

"I'm glad you feel this way, sire," Percival said.

The reaction surprised Arthur, and he asked "Why do you say that?"

Percival stood up tall. "It is my time to tell a story, sire, although it will be shorter." he said. "When I was a boy, I had a little brother named Aglaval. He was killed, along with my entire family, when Cenred invaded my home." The rest of them nodded, having been told the sordid tale before. Aglaval had died in his older brother's arms.

"What I have not told you is that after that happened, I lived with the Druids." Arthur's eyebrows raised. "They raised me until I was I man. I lived with them, learned the customs of those who learned magic and the customs of the druids. We traveled around the world, trading enchanted wares to help people with crops or medicine in return for food, water and supplies." Percival smiled wistfully. "I wanted to be a sorcerer for a long time, but I don't have a lick of magic in me. I could never wield it." Percival looked at Arthur. "I left when I was old enough to care for myself, so I could learn to wield a sword and make a living for myself." Percival paused dolefully. "I was sad to learn Camelot banned magic, knowing what good it could bring, and am glad to see you realize what I have always known." Percival finished with solemnity.

Arthur offered out his arm, and Percival grabbed it at his elbow in return. "Thank you, my friend," he said to Percival. "This assuages my worries."

Percival replied, with the utmost sincerity, "I am glad I could help."

Merlin turned to Arthur. "See, I told you they'd support this," proving his point to Arthur.

"We are behind you, Arthur," Elyan said sincerely. "Whatever you decide. And I'm reluctant about this, but I think I agree with you."

"No more reluctant than I am," Arthur said.

"Well," Gwaine said, lightening the mood. "At least we know why the princess has been so withdrawn now." Gwaine's face turned serious. "You've made the right decision, Arthur."

"I hope so," he said, gesturing to the lot of them and heading back into the castle. Gwaine grabbed Merlin's arm and the two of them hung back behind the rest as they walked inside.

"So when are you going to tell him?" Gwaine asked mysteriously, an unreadable expression on his face. It struck Merlin as eerily similar to when Gaius would ask the same thing of him.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked, doing his best not to let his panic get the best of him. There were plenty of things Gwaine could mean, he didn't necessarily have to be talking about -

"Your magic," Gwaine said bluntly. "When were you going to tell Arthur?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Gwaine," Merlin said chucking nervously. "It's me, Gwaine, I can't possibly - "

"Cut the act, Merlin," Gwaine said, now serious. "I thought you weren't telling me because you feared for your life, but after seeing Arthur back there I realized it might just be because you don't know how - so I thought I'd make it easy on you," he said, an easy smily gracing his features.

Merlin's eyes fell with shame. "I'm sorry Gwaine, I never meant to lie to anyone," he said to Gwaine, hoping he'd understand.

"I was upset with you for a long time about not telling me, but I realize if I had a life-threatening secret like that I'd withhold it too. You know the truth about my father, but that secret couldn't get me killed. At worst, it would get me my own manservant." Gwaine's face curled as if he smelled horse droppings. "And Arthur would feel the same way, you know. It's understandable that you'd hide that from the son of Uther Pendragon," he said, his words underscoring how Merlin hoped Arthur would react.

"It's not that I'm worried about," Merlin said, "Because that is only the tip of the iceberg. There's a lot that you don't know, Gwaine, and I'm not sure Arthur would take all of that in stride." He shook his head with doubt.

"So enlighten me," Gwaine said casually.

"Fine, but you won't believe me," Merlin said laughing. "Lets go back to Gaius's chambers so we won't be interrupted." The two hurried back to the physician's quarters, Gwaine curious to know what the personal manservant to the prince had to hide. Gaius was puttering about, making tonics and tinctures when they arrived.

"Gwaine figured it out," Merlin said as they walked in.

"Figured what out?" Gaius asked, years of training hiding the surprise in his face.

"That I'm a sorcerer." Merlin said casually, taking a seat at the table. Had Gaius been drinking anything, he would have spit it out as he turned in shock towards Gwaine.

Gwaine, for his part, merely shrugged at the information. "I figured it out when I met him. We met in a barfight, and he was throwing plates with his magic."

Gaius then turned to Merlin with an expression Gwaine could tell was used before on the man hundreds of times - that of fatherly frustration. "You stupid boy," Gaius said to Merlin before returning to his work.

"Okay, I said you won't believe me and you won't," Merlin said, the disbelief evident on Gwaine's face. "Not only am I a sorcerer, I'm apparently the most powerful sorcerer in the world."

Gaius turned to Merlin abject horror evident in his face. He clearly did not approve of the information Merlin was divulging to his friend.

Gwaine snorted. "You're right, I don't believe you. What makes you think that?"

Merlin sighed. "The druids call me Emrys. I am, evidently, a central figure in druidic and magical prophecies going back centuries. The first druid I ever met knew who I was and called me Emrys, and this was before I had ever met the druids."

This was when the shock finally hit Gwaine, his eyes going wide. "No way," he said.

"And what made you think telling Gwaine the drunk was a good idea?" Gaius asked Merlin skeptically. Gwaine looked offended at the implication.

"He won't tell," Merlin said, sighing. "I know he won't because he's known I have magic for out entire friendship and he hasn't told anyone yet. Besides, he's a knight, they keep secrets routinely in their job."

Gwaine sat up straight. "Yeah, what Merlin said," he said, gesturing towards the skinny servant.

Gaius raised an eyebrow and returned to his work. "It's your choice," he said despairingly.

"Well," Merlin said to Gaius, "I suspect the truth will be unraveling rather quickly now anyways. I'd better just deal with it as it happens rather than staving it off like I've been doing for years," he said dejectedly.

"Have you ever told anyone?" Gwaine asked. "Voluntarily, I mean?"

"Not before now, no," Merlin said. "I saved Gaius's life, that's how he found out. Lancelot knew, because I tried - and failed - to surreptitiously enchant the lance he used to kill the Griffin," Merlin said. "Griffins can only be killed with magic."

Gwaine nodded. "I suppose I'm not so offended you never told me anymore, and more honored that you told me about this. But… most powerful sorcerer ever," Gwaine said, breathless.

"And will ever be," Merlin added. "I've known for years and I still don't believe it. I must do something really impressive in the future for them to say that." Gwaine nodded, and Merlin continued. "That's my biggest secret, but there are lots of little ones piled on top of it. Like how I enchanted Lancelot's lance - little ways I changed the tide of a battle without anyone knowing, mostly. Lots of lies to Arthur over the years, big and small."

"His lies are like a house of cards," Gaius clarified. "They're all built around the one central piece - that Merlin has magic. All said to reinforce that one original." Merlin put his head on the table in his arms, clearly ashamed of how he'd had to behave over the better part of the last decade.

"I don't think I'd be able to recall any of them if I tried," Merlin said sadly. "There's so many."

Gwaine was silent for a second. "I can see how you're worried," he said. "Arthur doesn't take well to lies, especially after Morgana."

Merlin raised his hand towards Gwaine. "And therein lies the problem." Merlin stood. "And now, I must attend to the prince in question. He'll surely be wanting something else from me," he said in mock frustration.

The two of them stood up, and bid their farewells to Gaius, Gwaine heading to the tavern and Merlin to attend on Arthur.


	3. Chapter 3: Aithusa

**I would suggest going back and watching the episode, because I'm skimming over the first twenty minutes because I don't want to take the time to rewrite it. You'll be able to tell when my fix actually divulges from the episode. **

Merlin woke to the sound of a late night visitor from Gaius. A man had come calling, by the name of Julius Borden. Gaius didn't want to help him on his quest to retrieve a dragon's egg, but after a conversation with Kilgarrah Merlin didn't feel the same way. Borden said he could be found at the tavern nearby, and Merlin met him and formed a plan. After stealing the last part of the Triskellion, Borden betrayed him and left him with the key. Merlin returned it successfully to Arthur's room, when the warning bell rang and they met in the vaults to discuss who did this.

"The lock hasn't been damaged," Aggravaine said as Gaius walked in. "Which would suggest whoever it was had a key."

Uther's eyes narrowed on Gaius and Merlin as they entered the vaults. "Suspicious," he said loudly, "Since only two people have access to Arthur's bedroom," narrowing his eyes on Merlin.

"All these treasures, and this is all they were interested in," Arthur said. "What was in here?" Arthur asked, opening the small chest.

"I believe sire, one third of a Triskellion." Gaius said briskly. "A type of key that, according to legend, opens the ancient Tomb of Ashkanar."

"That tomb has a dragon's egg!" Uther exclaimed. "If you have been involved in this, boy," he growled at Merlin,

"He was not, and I can prove it," Gaius said, interrupting the king. "A man came by last night; he said he wanted to break into the vaults to get the key. He was trying to recruit me into the scheme. Since it was late and he had not yet committed any crime, I simply sent him away and told him it was impossible. I regret to say I was wrong, sire," Gaius said, hanging his head and taking the fall for Merlin yet again.

Uther regarded Gaius coldly. "We must stop this man from getting to the tomb. Within it lies a dragon's egg, and they can live thousands of years before hatching." Uther looked furious. "During the purge, I looked everywhere for the Triskellion, but it eluded me. Now you can correct that mistake," Uther said, turning to Arthur.

"You will go after this man, with a band of knights," Uther growled, clearly suspicious of Arthur, "and recover the dragon's egg before he does. I don't care what other treasures he finds, so long as the egg is ours." He swept angrily out of the vaults, leaving the rest of them standing there in silence.

"Well, that settles it then, lets get going." Arthur said, gesturing to Merlin as they left the vaults. "Ready our horses, we leave within the hour. I'm going to go fetch the knights of the round table," he said happily, clearly glad that he had men he could trust over his father.

After getting chastised by Gaius, they rode out after Julius Borden, Arthur talking to the company on the way out.

"My father always talks about dragons as beasts," he started saying, "But if he is wrong about magic perhaps he is wrong about this. The legends always speak of dragons as wise and noble creatures. I would very much like to save this egg, so that we may see if it is true," Arthur said.

"The tales of the dragons were always my favorite growing up," Percival said. "The dragons and their dragonlords, sailing through the sky, fighting for good and equality." He smiled wistfully. "I know they were children's tales, but I always wished I could find out if it was true or not."

Arthur frowned. "Even if we recover this dragon, the last dragonlord died. Those days cannot return."

Merlin heard the sorrow in his voice, and badly wanted to correct Arthur on that notion. He wanted Arthur to know the truth about his father and himself, but he didn't want to do the telling. Merlin himself was so implicated in this one; he freed Kilgarrah, he didn't kill Kilgarrah after he attacked, he helped Borden steal the Triskellion piece, and now he was going to free the dragon… Merlin was very guilty this time.

Gwaine saw the distress on his face and mumbled quietly to Merlin, "You're hiding something again, aren't you."

Merlin looked to Gwaine. "Yep," was all he said as Arthur and Percival continued talking about the time of the old religion. It was very surreal to hear Arthur talk about it as if it was something he _wanted _back.

That night, after Merlin fed the knights and the horses, a surprise greeted them. A bunch of the druids walked brazenly up to their camp, with no fear in their eyes and no hesitance in their stride. He was woken by them speaking directly into his mind.

_*Emrys,*_ they murmured into his mind, and Merlin shot awake to see them all standing around his camp.

"Guys," Merlin said to the knights, waking them quickly. They were trained to be sensitive to noises when out on patrol, or anywhere that wasn't Camelot. They sat up to join Merlin in looking at the druids.

"Iseldir," Arthur said, breaking out into a small smile.

"Do not be afraid," Iseldir addressed everyone. "We know your quest."

"How?" Arthur asked, a little suspiciously as he stood. The rest of the company followed suit.

"The man you seek also stole from us." He said solemnly. "He passed this way not three hours before you."

"Where did he go?" Arthur asked him quickly.

"To the east," Iseldir replied quickly in the darkness. "But you must be wary, Arthur Pendragon. The legends tell a tale that only the druids know."

After a couple moments silence, Merlin asked "What do they say?" Well aware of the weight of the eyes upon Emrys. He would be shocked if the others didn't notice it themselves.

"Ashkanar was a wise man. He knew one day men would come seeking, to disturb his rest. The Triskellion is not just a key. It is also a trap." Iseldir spoke with authority.

"What do you mean, what kind of trap?" Merlin asked quickly.

"I do not know, but the legends are very clear. You must beware." _*You must beware, Emrys,*_ Another druid murmured into his mind.

"There is one other thing the legends say," Iseldir said. "Only when the way ahead seems impossible, will you have found it."

They began to walk away silently, but Arthur called after them. "Why are you helping us?" he asked.

They stopped, and Iseldir turned around to look at Arthur. "We do not want to see the last dragon egg in the hands of this man anymore than you do," he said. Then they began their procession back into the forest.

Arthur settled back down into his bedroll, as did the others, and all that was said was "At least we know for sure there's a dragon's egg now, not just legends." They all fell asleep again, Merlin with the weight of his secrets heavy on his mind.

When they woke, they could find no trace of Borden anywhere. But with the druid's advice they headed east, and began to find traces of him in the travel. His tracks led directly to a cave; a dead end.

"Only when the way ahead seems impossible, will you have found it." Elyan repeated. "He must have known," he said, pointing down at a footprint between the rocks, pointing into the cave.

Later that evening found the band of knights yet again giving Merlin grief by withholding food. He was sent out to collect firewood, and when he returned he found all of the knights sleeping. He fondly went to clean out the pot, and found a curious packet of dried herbs in the pot. He dimly sensed some magic on it, a weak sleeping enchantment. It was that moment that he heard the knights breath rattling.

The packet was poison, and it was stopping their breathing. Merlin knew he didn't have much time, he rushed over to Arthur and healed him quickly. "Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare!" He said quickly, Arthur's breath evening out. He cured all of the other knights, and them roughly woke Gwaine.

"Wh-what?" He said as hew as roused.

"He tried to poison you! I healed everyone with my magic - I think he's going to the tomb!" Merlin said. "We have to stop him."

Gwaine looked around, and raised his voice. "Guys, he's going for the tomb! We have to stop him!" Merlin swore, he didn't want to explain how he knew this. There was no good way out of it. He shot Gwaine a look, and whispered "Now I'll have to hide!"

"Not if you don't want to," Gwaine said, and Merlin saw what he was trying to do. H wanted to be mad at Gwaine for it, but he understood what the boisterous man was trying to do.

Luckily, Arthur nor anyone else questioned him, and they rushed off to the tomb. When they arrived, they found the door open and Borden passed out.

"Percival, stand guard," Arthur said. "We'll go on ahead to get the egg."

They entered the great hall, and saw piles of treasure. The hall was filled with piles of gold, jewels and other wealth, but Merlin had eyes only for the blue teardrop-shaped egg in the center. He put his hands on the egg, when Borden roared "stop!"

He let go, and the company turned to the man, his hand raised in fight. "I quickly disposed of your man, and can do the same to you," he growled. "Let me take the egg and I will leave in peace."

"It is not yours to take," Merlin ground back. Arthur was shocked by the venom in his voice, and remembered how edgy Merlin had been during this whole trip. Maybe there was an element to this Arthur didn't know.

"I have spent my life on finding it! If it is anyone's, it is mine!" Borden yelled. "I will have riches and glory on the back of this beast, and none of you can stop me." His eyes focused on Arthur. "Not even Prince Pendragon."

"It is not anyone's!" Merlin roared back. "And it is not a beast! They are independent, magical creatures, and should be free to roam the earth." Merlin raised his arm and pointed at Borden, and Arthur felt that the situation was going to quickly get out of hand.

Borden clenched his outstretched hand, and yelled "Ástillian!" And the knights were immobilized. Merlin alone was left able to walk, as Borden approached him,

"What can you do to stop me?" He jeered. "You are just a serving boy."

Merlin looked at Arthur as he looked back, and realized that there was nothing for it.

"I am more than a serving boy." Merlin looked Borden right in the eyes. "I am the last dragonlord," Merlin said regally, and in his peripheral vision he saw everyone's eyes widen, especially Arthur's. Fear filled Borden's face, and Merlin took his chance.

He let the voice he share with Kilgarrah rip through him, and roared with the voice of a dragon, just like he did when his father was struck down. A primitive desire had filled him to protect the baby dragon at all costs.

Borden was blown back and fell unconscious when he hit the ground, his magic releasing and all the knights were mobilized. Arthur was staring at him in abject shock. Merlin turned around and grabbed the egg, and the tomb started to crumble.

"Run!" He yelled, and they all hightailed it out of the tomb, and saw it collapse on top of Borden spectacularly as the ran up the hill, the egg cradled in Merlin's arms.

When they stopped up on the top of the hill, out of breath, Arthur said "So you're a dragonlord?" He asked, doubled over to catch his breath.

"Yeah," Merlin affirmed, equally out of breath. "Balinor was my father."

Arthur turned to look at Merlin. "You told me you didn't know who your father was."

"Gaius told me the day we rode out to find him, when Kilgarrah attacked the castle." Merlin flinched, seeing his mistake.

"Kilgarrah, the great dragon? It has a name?" He asked incredulously. "How would you know it's name?" He asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Merlin looked up to the sky, praying to the gods he would somehow make it through this discussion okay. His lies about the dragon were about to come tumbling down like a house of cards.

"We..." He started uncertainly, and then dipped his head in defeat. "We're friends," he said weakly.

"Friends?!" Arthur exclaimed. "With the dragon that killed dozens of people!" Arthur threw his hands up and turned to the rest of the knights incredulously. They all looked back at him with equal surprise, and he turned to Merlin again, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"Tell me you weren't the one who freed him," Arthur said with narrowed eyes.

"Arthur," Merlin began, praying Arthur would give him a chance to explain. He did not.

"I trusted you!" Arthur screamed. "I trusted you all these years, and you betrayed me!" He exclaimed, hands in the air.

"My hands were tied!" Merlin yelled back. "If I didn't, Camelot itself would have fallen!" He mentally willed Arthur to give him a chance to explain.

"It almost did when _Kilgarrah_ attacked," Arthur yelled, using the dragons name scathingly. "Go on, do your explaining," Arthur said dismissively. "You seem to be doing that a lot lately," he said to Merlin, a comment designed to hurt.

And hurt it did. It felt like a lance had pierced Merlin's heart as he said, "it was during Morgana and Morgause's attack with the Knights of Medhir. I didn't know what was happening and asked him for help. He said that for my help, I had to promise to free him using one of the Medhir swords; they were the only thing strong enough to break his bonds." Merlin raised his voice for the next words, making sure Arthur understood. "Without his help, everyone would have been slaughtered by the knights. He's who told me Morgana betrayed us, he told me Morgana was the source of the spell."

"You're a god damned dragonlord!" Arthur yelled back. "You couldn't make him promise not to harm Camelot or something?"

Arthur's anger weighed on Merlin heavily, and all the guilt over the attack he harboured came rising to the surface, and he felt he could yell no more. His response to Arthur was quiet and solemn. "A dragonlord's powers only come to fruition after their father dies."

Arthur froze, remembering how he had chastised Merlin for crying over Balinor's death, and the memory blunted his anger somewhat. Merlin continued, seeing Arthur calm. "I had already promised him I'd release him before, and didn't want to risk waiting anymore. Worse may have happened."

"That's a real shitty situation you got yourself in, Merlin," Arthur commented, eyes focused squarely on the manservant in front of him. "What made you think it was a good idea to talk to the great dragon in the first place?" He asked, stunned.

"Ok, this is a little weird," Merlin admitted before he forged ahead, "But he called out to me - in my mind. If there was a voice speaking to you in your mind - calling your name, I might add, you'd go after it, wouldn't you."

Arthur folded his arms and grimaced. "Fine, just... Did I really kill him?" He asked, angry but understanding of Merlin's reasons.

Merlin smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. "Not even a little. He is a thousand year old dragon, Arthur, I doubt a lance in his side would do anything," he admitted. "I'm surprised Uther ever bought the story." Merlin paused, and Arthur waited for him to continue. Merlin dropped the smile as he said, "When you were knocked unconscious, I ordered him in the dragon language to leave Camelot, and never harm her people again. When a dragonlord commands a dragon in the draconian tongue," Merlin said,

"He must obey," Percival finished. He was looking at Merlin with abject awe, and the rest of the knights were looking at him with a mixture of awe and shock. Arthur still stood angrily at the head of the group.

"Well I suppose that makes the dragon your responsibility, so..." Arthur trailed off, brusquely gesturing to the egg in Merlin's arms. The company set off back towards their camp.

During the walk, Merlin said "I.. If I'm being honest, I don't really know what to do with it. I need to call Kilgarrah and ask him..." He said, trailing off and letting the question hang in the air. Would Arthur like to meet the dragon?

The others had their interest piqued, and Percival looked outright excited at the prospect. It was an odd thing to see, the ordinarily reserved knight looking like a child at the winter festival.

"Fine," Arthur said brusquely. "You'll need to anyways, better while we're far from Camelot." He kept marching forward.

"We'll need to find a clearing..." Merlin said uncertainly.

"Fine," Arthur snapped, and Merlin thought it wise to ask no more questions.

Very unsure of what he was about to do, he lifted his head to the sky and roared once more, "Ωδρακον, έάω μαλερός σοφόνους φθέγγομαι τείδε άναδικέω!" shocking everyone around him as he called into the sky.

Arthur looked back with anger in his eyes, and Merlin shrugged, as if to say '_What were you expecting?_' Merlin knew Arthur's anger wasn't about his abilities, it was about lying and bringing harm to Camelot, albeit accidentally.

A short while later, they had returned to the large clearing near the tomb with their camping materials in tow. Kilgarrah arrived, landing in front of the company with his eyes fixated on the prince in front of him. Arthur and the knights drew their swords

"Prince Arthur of Camelot," Kilgarrah said, bowing to him. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"And yet you slaughtered my people!" Arthur said, unable to check his tongue.

"And Uther slaughtered mine," Kilgarrah replied in kind. "Every single one of them but me. Tell me, young prince, if some magical creature slaughtered every human but you, and you alone, how would you feel?" His eyes peered down at Arthur's as he stretched his neck high, regally.

Arthur knew Kilgarrah had a point, and chose to say nothing.

"But it seems I am not alone anymore," Kilgarrah said as Merlin took the egg out of the bag.

"It would seem not," Merlin said, a smile splitting his face as it did Kilgarrah's. "Is it still alive?" He asked, concerned.

"It can live for more than a thousand years," Kilgarrah said, happiness in his voice. It was indeed, still alive.

"When will it hatch?" Merlin asked.

"Young dragons were called into the world by the dragonlords," Kilgarrah said regally. "Only they had the power to summon them from the egg. As the last dragonlord, this solemn duty falls to you, Merlin." He smiled as he peered down at the young warlock.

"How do I summon it?" Merlin queried Kilgarrah, as he stared down at the egg in his hands.

"You must give the dragon, a name." Kilgarrah informed Merlin.

Merlin held out the egg at arms length, and considered it deeply. The rest of the company were looking between the two with amazement in their gazes once more, aware that they were witnessing something both rare and powerful, something not many men saw, even in the time of the old religion.

Merlin closed his eyes, and reached out towards the dragon in the egg with his magic, searching for the dragon's name. It felt warm and hopeful, so innocent and waiting on a dragonlord to release it. It's warmth and light filled Merlin from the inside as he said, "Aithusa," his voice coming out deep as a dragon's.

He felt the egg crack in his hands, and felt the dragon poke it's nose out from the egg. The egg wiggled in his hands as Aithusa crawled out of it,

"A white dragon is indeed a rare thing," Kilgarrah said as the white dragon poked out from the shell, cooing at Merlin. "And fitting, too - for in the dragon tongue, you named him after the light of the sun. No dragon birth is without meaning; sometimes the meaning is hard to see, but this time I believe it is clear. The white dragon bodes well for Albion. For you, for Arthur, and for the land that you will build together."

Aithusa had crawled fully out of the shell, and stood in it extending her wings. Kilgarrah folded his legs and sat down, as Aithusa crawled up Merlin's shoulder, ticking his arm. Merlin laughed in happiness, and he felt the happiness of the baby dragon on his shoulder.

Percival walked forward, a fist outstretched to let the baby dragon smell, as if she were a puppy. Aithusa cooed at Percival, and he put his thumb on her head as she pressed into the pressure. Gwaine and Elyan were next to walk forward, crowding around Aithusa.

"She's beautiful," Merlin said, as proud as if she were his own child. The others could see the love on his face, and for the first time in their lives understood what it meant when the tales said that dragon lords shared the souls of dragons.

Leon even came up after a couple of minutes, wanting to see the baby dragon for itself. It was not vicious or mean, and enjoyed the peoples company, since she knew they meant no harm.

Arthur was the only one who held back, skeptical of dragons in general and actively afraid of Kilgarrah. He knew, intellectually, that Aithusa was not evil, but a fear of dragons had been instilled in him since birth.

Eventually, though, even Arthur came towards the baby dragon, and it leapt towards him as it did Merlin. It was a new day for the people of Camelot.

—

**I thought it would be amusing to put the actual dragon language down.**

**Translation: "Ω**__**δρακον, έάω μαλερός σοφόνους φθέγγομαι τείδε άναδικέω!": O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!: O dragon, permit the appeal for an audience to speak here, fierce, wise-minded one.**

**I wrote the tomb with piles of treasure, because I thought it was a little ridiculous that that room was gigantic and there was only the egg. Where was the wealth Gaius mentioned?**

**Arthur still had the vault key because I'd imagine Uther would delegate the running to and fro from the vaults to his more active son. **

**And Borden had magic, because it seemed a little ridiculous that a mundane man thought he could control a dragon, at least for very long. They get to be horse-sized rather quickly.**


	4. Chapter 4: His Father's Son

**This is another episode that the show did, so I'll be skimming over parts that are identical to the episode. However, you may find they are few and far between. **

—

Merlin ran through the forest, the knights of Caerleon on his tail. He led them straight into a dead end, to be ambushed by Arthur and his knights. The soldiers were defeated, and the leader was taken as prisoner.

"Look what we have here," Aggravaine said, throwing down the prisoner in bandit's clothes.

"Take him prisoner, my father will deal with him when he goes back to Camelot." Arthur dismissed Aggravaine, wanting to be on his way.

"I fear this is no ordinary prisoner, sire," Aggravaine said, drawing Arthur's attention to him and handing him a necklace

"Well well," Arthur said, examining the trinket.

"What is it?" Merlin asked, looking at it.

"This, Merlin, is the royal crest of Caerleon." Arthur looked at the prisoner. "Is it not, your highness." The man, the king, regarded him with cool, brown eyes.

—

A little while later, the band of knights was back at camp with the King of Caerleon. "This is not the first time he's trespassed on our lands," Arthur said to Aggravaine.

"No, it is not," he agreed. "Only last week he seized the village of Stonedown on the border." Aggravaine sat on a log, by the fire in the dark.

"We're not on the borders now, Aggravaine, this is the heart of the kingdom." Arthur said. "We must make haste back to Camelot and let my father deal with him," he continued.

"I think you should take another course of action," Aggravaine said. "You know how your father will deal with him; he will be executed swiftly for his crimes against Camelot. Your father is a strong king, and Camelot's enemies respect that strength. It is time for you to show that same strength, here and now. Your father will be proud of you for it."

"Are you saying I'm not worthy of that respect?" Arthur asked Aggravaine.

"No, not at all," Aggravaine said, in the most bootlicking manner possible. "There isn't a citizen of Camelot who would not lay down their life for you."

_At least that's true_, Merlin thought.

Aggravaine stood and walked closer to Arthur. "But to your enemies… the enemies of Camelot… you are untested. They are becoming aware that Uther grows older, and they wish to measure you and what you will be like as king. If you show weakness, the moment you are king they will strike. You must send a clear message that as king, any action against Camelot will be met without mercy."

"You are saying you would me handle this without my father?" Arthur asked Aggravaine.

He shrugged in response. "I highly doubt your father would begrudge you. In fact, he'd be proud you showed initiative."

Arthur sighed. "Well, did we not send a clear message here today?"

Aggravaine looked at Arthur with beady eyes. "No sire. Not enough to deter the likes of Odin and Bayard and the countless others who covet Camelot's wealth."

"What are you suggesting?" Arthur asked has he sat down on a log.

"I suggest," Aggravaine said, "That you force him to hand back over the lands he has seized over the past few months. Tell him to remove his men, surrender to Camelot her territories, and Everwick." He spoke in hushed, private tones.

"He'd rather die than agree to such terms," Arthur said, looking around to make sure nobody was listening in.

"Then you are left with no choice," Aggravaine said, looking him in the eye.

"I can't just kill a man in cold blood," Arthur said with disbelief.

"You must do what you need to do to assure your authority over this land when you are king!" Aggravaine insisted.

"I will let my father settle what to do when we return to Camelot," Arthur said. "I will not take authority on this matter; I am sure there is another way."

Aggravaine shook his head. "Your father will agree with me, Arthur. This is what needs to be done."

"I'll believe it when I hear it out of my father's mouth. My decision is made, Aggravaine." Aggravaine stood and left in frustration with the prince.

"You did the right thing," Merlin said, coming over to Arthur and sitting next to him. "Executing him will not avert a war."

"What would you know," Arthur said dismissively, playing with a stick found on the ground.

"I know what is obvious," said Merlin, leaning in towards Arthur. "Queen Annis would not just take it if Caerleon is executed," he pointed out. "She would attack in kind."

Arthur pressed his lips together. "You have a point, Merlin." He turned to look at the servant. "You are wiser than you seem."

Merlin raised his eyebrows, smiling, and got up to tend the camp, leaving Arthur to his thoughts.

—

They returned to Camelot late that afternoon, Caerleon being immediately brought into the throne room by Arthur and Aggravaine, Merlin and some of the knights in tow.

"We captured him attacking our lands," Arthur said roughly. "Right in the heart of the kingdom."

"Caerleon," Uther said cooly to the man kneeling in his throne room, dismissing the councilors until another time. "You're who I have to thank for the misery of the people in Stonedown," he said. "They cry out for our retribution." Uther began pacing around the captured King. "Your crimes… attacking our kindgom, seizing our lands, breaking the peace treaty… they are unforgivable."

"So are your crimes against those who wield magic," Caerleon said roughly. "That hasn't stopped you."

"Silence!" Uther cried. "I will spare your life if you sign a new treaty. You will hand over the seized territories, banish magic from your kingdom," Uther paused, "Hand over Annan, and I will spare your life."

Caerleon's eyes widened. Annan was a larger town than Everwick, and central to that reigon's trade. There was no way Caerleon would accept these terms, and he made it known. "I will do no such thing," he said roughly. "Do what you will with me."

"Very well," said Uther, coming to a stop in front of Caerleon. "This was your doing, not mine." He drew his sword from his hip, and plunged the sword deep into Caerleon's chest. He was dead before Uther drew his sword.

The knights picked up the body, and quickly carried it out of the throne room. "This is a learning moment, Arthur," Uther said. "This show of strength was necessary. An example had to be made of him, so that none other would attempt what he did." Uther then smiled at his son. "I am glad you brought this before me, though, so that I may teach you this." Uther grabbed his son's arm, before letting him go and returning to what he was originally doing.

—

In Caerleon, when Annis was returned the body, she swore revenge against Uther.

"This is no battle wound!" She cried to her troops. "Uther will pay for this. A king for a king," she said. "The whole of Camelot will pay for this!"

Later that evening, Morgana showed up at the castle of Queen Annis. They spoke, and struck a deal.

"You seek revenge against Uther Pendragon," she said lightly. "So do I. We could work toward the same goal; I kill Uther from inside Camelot while your armies march towards her from the outside." She smirked sinisterly. "We would be undefeatable."

—

Merlin was up late that night, polishing Arthur's armor out on the training field where he had left it. It was a cool, wonderful night, and he was enjoying the weather immensely. Arthur trusted magic, trusted him, even knew some of his secrets - there was nothing Merlin could ask for in the world.

He was beyond glad Arthur now knew he was a dragonlord, even if it made no material difference - he liked not having to lie to Arthur anymore about the dragons, or about Morgana, or about magic for the most part.

Arthur still didn't know about what he'd done to save his life so many times, not yet, but he would one day. Merlin trusted that, now more than ever. And when Arthur did know about his magic, know he was Emrys, Merlin would sit down and tell him the full story.

_Perhaps I'll even write a book about it,_ Merlin thought. _It has been quite a tale._ And would make quite a book. It would certainly make telling Arthur all the details a lot easier.

It was then that he saw a figure skulking about outside the castle walls - right where Merlin had sneaked out prisoners countless times. He set down Arthur's armor, and tailed the figure.

When he got to the door, it stood open. He walked through it, shutting it behind him. He hurried quietly through the halls, not wanting the intruder to be alert to his presence. It was then that he came upon two unconscious guards at the foot of the stairs. He awoke them roughly, sensing the irony of the situation.

"Wake up!" He shook the guard, and he roused slowly. Unconciouness kept his eyes unfocused, and then he remembered. "The Lady Morgana," he mumbled at Merlin.

"Shit," he swore, bounding up the stairs after her. A couple minutes later, he heard the warning bells ring as he continued his chase after Morgana. He went directly to Arthur's room, only to meet him in the hall looking for the source of the warning.

"Morgana!" They heard Uther yell, and they needed no more indication as they burst into Uther's chambers. When they got inside, they were met with a chilling sight. Uther was held in Morgana's grip with a knife to his throat, Uther on his knees and in his nightclothes.

"Continue no further if you want to live," Morgana said smoothly. "I'm just here running a few errands," she said as she pressed the dagger into Uther's throat. "I had hoped to kill all of the Pendragons while I was here," she said, "But it looks like I'll have to settle for the senior."

"Why are you doing this?" Arthur cried.

"You know why, dear brother," she spat. "Our _father_ would have me and all of my kind killed!"

"I could never kill you, Morga - " Uther tried to say, but was interrupted by Morgana's cry of "Silence!"

"The Pendragon line is a plague upon this earth," she said darkly.

"Morgana!" Merlin cried. "When Arthur is king, he will remove the ban on magic!" He said despairingly.

"I have heard the rumors," she said, smirking. "Nevertheless, both he and his father need removing from this earth. Legalizing magic is not enough to atone for all of the deaths the Pendragons have caused," she said, looking down at Uther. "And besides," she said sinisterly. "Wouldn't that be all the more reason for me to kill Uther now?"

"It doesn't need to be this way," Arthur said.

"It does, since the throne is rightfully mine!" Morgana cried. "Neither of you deserve the kingdom of Camelot!" She dragged her dagger across Uther's neck, and the blood spilled as she teleported away. "Bedyrne ús! Astýre ús þanonweard!" she cried, as the wind obscured her and she was gone.

"Father!" Arthur cried, running to Uther. Blood was pouring all over his tunic and neck, the gash Morgana made large and obtrusive. He cradled the dying king in his arms, and Uther said nothing to Arthur as he held him, already unconscious from blood loss. The life faded from him, and the king was dead within the minute. Arthur cried over him, loudly and filled with grief. However much of a tyrant Uther Pendragon was, Arthur still loved his father dearly.

Merlin left the room, and stood outside the door as Gaius arrived a half hour later, some of the knights in tow.

"The king is dead," he said roughly. "It was Morgana; she snuck in."

Gaius pushed past Merlin and he followed him inside, leaving the guards to stand watch outside the door.

"Arthur," said Gaius compassionately, and Arthur looked up from where he sat. Tears streaked his face profusely. Gaius looked to Merlin, and Merlin came and put a hand on Arthur's shoulder. Arthur stood up, and Merlin guided him out of the room.

"How did she get in?" Arthur asked of Merlin as they walked down the halls, as if Merlin should know.

"She broke in," he said sadly. "I was outside, polishing your armor, up late. I saw her, and tried to catch her coming into the castle, but I lost her. She knocked out the two guards, who set off the warning bell when I woke them. Thats when I saw you, and…" Merlin trailed off.

"But why now," he asked emptily.

"I don't know why," he said. "She could have done it anytime; why now." He asked, shaking his head. Arthur got back into his room, and changed into some proper clothes.

"Perhaps this has something to do with Caerleon," Merlin suggested. "I said the other night that Annis would probably seek revenge."

Arthur turned to face the wall. "Their kingdom is… not unwelcoming towards those with magic," he agreed. "Perhaps she partnered with Morgana."

"We'll find out soon enough," Merlin said. "If she's really working with Annis, they won't wait to do something." He guessed.

Arthur nodded, silently.

"At least you can do something about Aggravaine now," Merlin said.

"I have decided what I'll do with him," Arthur already said. "I won't let him know we know, and we'll use him to our advantage. We'll let him lead us straight to her, feed her information," he said. "That is much more useful than dead," he said bluntly.

Arthur sat down at his table, and put his head in his hands. "I can't believe it," Arthur said. "He's just…" Arthur shook his head, unable to form the words.

"I know," Merlin said. He was shocked at how abruptly it happened; Uther was alive one moment and… gone the next. Merlin felt guilty about it, but a certain part of him was glad to see Arthur as king. He would free magic, and marry Gwen, and the time of Albion could start.

But first, Arthur had to make it through this. Merlin's heart went out to his friend; he remembered his grief when his own father died, and he had known him for less than a day. What, then, could Arthur be feeing? Merlin, who knew so much of death, knew little of losing someone so close.

"We had been growing distant," Arthur said, as if hearing Merlin's thoughts. "Ever since our row, and we saw different ways, we just… grew apart. I hadn't had a casual conversation with him in weeks," he said sadly. "I suppose…" he said, trailing off. "I'm not ready to be King," Arthur said distantly.

"'Course you are," Merlin said. "You've been ready for ages. You're going to do a fine job." He insisted. Arthur showed it the other day, with Caerleon; his refusal to murder the king in cold blood told Merlin he would make a good king himself.

Arthur spoke quietly. "All that I said, about returning magic to the kingdom… it was very far off, you know. Like something I would do maybe someday, not something I would do this year." He shook his head. "I have no idea how to even go about doing it… if I did it quickly, would the people accept such an abrupt change?" He asked. Without waiting for a response, he said "My first act cannot be to repeal the most major of my father's," he said solemnly. "And I would not want it to be."

"The people know of your intent," Merlin said. "When the druids said they'd spread the word, they meant it. If even Morgana knew about it, surely the people of Camelot do." Merlin had a point. The whisperings were all over the kingdom; that as soon as Arthur became King, there would be a change in the law; magic would be returned. While the young men and women were skeptical, the elders remembered the time before the great purge, and were excited that they might live to see such a time.

"I think there will be more trouble getting the councilmen to write the laws," Arthur said. "I can pass them, but getting the finer points in writing and signed will require their cooperation."

"You're the King, Arthur," Merlin said, and Arthur flinched visibly. "I think they'll listen to you if you decree something," he pointed out.

"You're right, Merlin," Arthur said, not even bothering to mask the statement tonight. "I'm just nervous about doing it at all." His turmoil showed on his face. "I can't believe she'd do that," he said to himself.

Merlin looked at the now-king that sat before him. His shoulders were hunched in defeat, and his face was heavy in sorrow from the loss of his father. Years of training had prepared him for this moment, and to Arthur's credit he was holding together well. Arthur never showed grief or sadness when confronted in this manner before.

Everyone knew Uther had been getting on in years, especially since Morgana's betrayal, but nobody expected him to be gone so soon. Morgana had snuck into the castle as if it were a toy house, not even hindered by the security within the castle. Merlin supposed she had got lucky no servants or others had passed her tonight. It reminded him of the events surrounding the Crystal of Neatid, except this time Merlin had not forseen the events tonight. He supposed that even if he did, he would have been unable to change things anyways.

It was at that moment that a knock was heard at the door, and Leon stepped in after receiving permission. "Sire," Leon said respectfully, "He is in the throne room."

Arthur dipped his head in sorrow as he walked out of the room, and Merlin and Leon accompanied him downstairs. Merlin stood outside the doors as Arthur stepped through them, and shut them behind him.

"We must leave him to mourn," Leon said.

"I know," Merlin said, "But I'll be waiting out here. He needs to know he isn't alone."

Leon headed off to his own chambers, leaving Merlin where he sat.

—

It was morning when Merlin heard the door creak open behind him. He had woken early, after falling asleep on the stone floor of the stairwell landing. When he heard the noise, he turned his head and saw Arthur standing, the light of the morning sun behind him.

"It's a new day," Arthur said decisively. "You hungry?" He asked Merlin.

"Starved," he replied. He had been sitting on a stone floor all night, tossing and turning. He was in rough shape.

"Me too," Arthur said, having been doing roughly the same thing. "Come on, you can make us breakfast," he said. The pair climbed the stairs towards Arthur's chambers, Merlin breaking off to fetch food from the kitchens.

When Merlin retuned, the pair of them shared a silent breakfast in Arthur's chambers. Gwen came by as well, making herself busy doing Merlin's chores, since she no longer had Uther's chores to do. She let the men eat together silently, putting a hand on Arthur's shoulder or in his hair to show him that she was here for him.

Their bleary breakfast was interrupted by a knock at the door, whom Leon was behind. "Sire," Leon said, "The army of Caerleon marches for Camelot now — the messenger just arrived."

"Of course they are," Arthur said, putting down his fork. "Morgana came to dispatch Camelot of it's leaders, and then to capture Camelot and install herself as the new ruler." He spoke with anger as he stood up quickly.

"Sire," Leon began tentatively. "We must have your coronation before we ride out to meet them. Only a king can legally lead us out into war." Everyone knew Arthur would be reluctant to be crowned so quickly, Uther deserving an appropriate time to be mourned, as any king would.

Arthur sighed, as he knew Leon was right. "I suppose everyone is waiting for me downstairs, then," he said sullenly.

Leon nodded in response. "The crowd assembled quickly, news spread in the night."

Arthur stood up from his position at the table, and said to the servants, "leave this here for now - I'd rather you not miss my coronation," he said, smiling to the pair of them.

They smiled back, and the group hurried down to the ceremonial throne room at the far end of the castle. Arthur walked up the aisle, seeing the room full of people, and knelt before Geoffry of Monmouth.

"I do so swear," Arthur said in response to the crowning ceremonial oath, and stood once he felt the crown be placed on it's head. He had never worn it before, his father always insisting on its significance. It's weight felt heavy on his head, and he looked out feeling responsible for all of the people chanting in the audience.

"Long live the king!" They all shouted in unison, and Arthur prayed that he could adequately protect them from the threat that hung over them today.

—

Arthur stood on a cliffside that evening, examining the troops of Caerleon that gathered in the valley below. Hundreds would die today, they knew, and Arthur felt powerless to stop it. When Aggravaine walked up, Arthur gave him orders.

"Be sure the men have everything they need," he said. "They must be well-rested by morning."

"I'll see to it, sire," he said in reply.

"The battle commences at first light." He informed his uncle, and Aggravaine walked away to inform the soldiers.

The thought of his uncle being a traitor made his lips curl, but as he had said to Merlin - he is more useful being manipulated than dead. Besides, if Arthur had him killed, another spy would surely replace him. He was just glad the old sorcerer who healed his father had caught Morgana before any damage was done. If his father had died that night, Arthur knew he would have turned against magic instead of seeing the truth.

But that drama was neither here nor there. Right now, Arthur was defending himself from an impending war - a war his father caused through fear and mercilessness. Arthur knew that the same things that created this problem would not stop it, but he could not see any way around the battle that would happen tomorrow.

Arthur headed back to camp, and busied himself with strategic preparations. He had war documents and plans to pour over with his commanders, and had to form plans for every possible outcome. He knew Caerleon may have sorcerers in their ranks, and that would complicate the battle immensely.

It was late into the night before Arthur got up and walked around his tent, torches now lighting the small space. He approached his tent flap and a saddening sight met his eyes.

Merlin and the knights of the round table sat around a campfire outside his tent, obviously waiting for him to come out. They were goofing around and laughing, enjoying what may well prove to be their final nights. Arthur felt more keenly than ever the weight of what he was asking them to do, and smiled at them wistfully.

Merlin caught his eye and his smile faded as he saw the serious demeanor of his king, and the knights all turned to him as well. Having been out on the spot, Arthur puttered around before saying, "We should all get some sleep," and walking into his tent.

"Is he all right?" Arthur heard Gwaine ask from outside.

"He's our King," Merlin replied. "If anything would happen to any of us, he'll hold himself responsible." Arthur heard the silence that followed Merlin's statement.

A little while later, the knights (and Merlin) came into his tent. It was the dead of night, and many were getting ready to fall asleep. "Elyan," Arthur said by way of greeting.

"Sire," he said, the company coming to a standstill before him.

"Well?" Arthur asked expectantly of the knights looking at him intently.

"We just want you to know," Elyan said, "That there isn't a man among us who wouldn't die for you. We made our pledge, and we wear the Pendragon crest with pride. Tomorrow, we fight in your name, sire, for freedom and justice in this land."

Arthur was glad to have the support of these men; not just for the impending battle, but because of the change in the laws they knew were to come. "Thank you Elyan," Arthur said. "Thank you all."

The knights left Arthur alone with Merlin, and he spoke up. "They mean it sire," he said, his hands on his hips and wearing a proud smile. "Every word."

"I never once questioned their loyalty," Arthur said. "I do wonder if I deserve it." He said, mumbling.

"No one could care for their men more than you do. To send them into battle is not a decision you would make lightly. They know that." Merlin busied himself with polishing Arthur's sword.

"But is it the right decision?" Arthur queried Merlin, looking for advice.

"If there was any other way out of this situation you would take it, but you must defend Camelot, you have no choice." He spoke plainly, convinced of his own words.

"We always have a choice, Merlin." Arthur said despairingly. "And my men will pay for this one with their lives." Merlin looked at Arthur, and set down the sword as he went to bed.

It was a little while later that Merlin heard Arthur leave the camp. He tried to sneak out behind him, but tripped over someone's food and crashed into a tent. Luckily, Arthur did not see him and continued his trek. Merlin followed him into Caerleon's camp.

"Halt!" the enemy soldiers cried, coming towards Arthur. Merlin watched from a rocky outcrop.

"I'm unarmed," Arthur said in reply, throwing off his cloak. "You know who I am. Take me to your Queen."

He got inside the tent in front of Annis. "Your highness, I come to - " He was interrupted when Queen Annis slapped him. "Your highness, I know you hold nothing but contempt for my family. You feel my father had done you a grievous wrong, and you would be right. I'm ashamed of what he did. It was cowardly, it was unjust, and I am deeply sorry." Arthur was ashamed of his father for his actions, and it was an awful emotion to be feeling not a day after his passing.

"Sorry does not bring back my husband," Annis spat. "Sorry does not give my people back their king." Her eyes were full of fury for the new king before her.

"I realize that. Both our people have lost kings in the past few days, and there's nothing I can do to repair that loss," Arthur said, a jab laced in the comment. Annis was almost certainly involved in Uther's assassination.

Her eyes narrowed at the implication, feeling no regret for his death. "Then what are you doing here Arthur Pendragon," Annis all but hissed.

"I want to call off the battle," Arthur said, looking at Annis.

Annis narrowed her eyes with bemusement. "It's a little to late for that," she said, voice full of contempt.

"I don't propose a truce, but an alternative," Arthur informed her. "I invoke the right of single combat. Champions, and we'll settle the matter between them." His face was open and honest.

"And why should I grant you this favor?" She asked Arthur, suspicious.

"There has been bloodshed enough already, your highness," Arthur said. Annis narrowed her eyes, truly considering his offer. She too, did not want to sacrifice her people's lives in combat. Arthur saw his lead and pressed it. "Many hundreds of lives will be saved this way," he said.

Annis nodded to the men holding Arthur, and they let him go. "And your terms?" she asked, businesslike.

"If my man wins, you must withdraw your army," Arthur decreed, standing tall.

"And if mine is the victor?" Annis asked.

Arthur looked at Annis, determined. "Than half of all Camelot is yours." Annis knew she would be a fool not to take such an offer. She was about to accept when her men dragged another man into her tent.

Merlin looked up at Arthur from where he knelt, pleading for clemency from his king, and Arthur just looked down at him with shock and exasperation. "Sorry about this," Merlin said to Arthur, a touch of humor in his voice.

"You know him?" Annis turned to Arthur, annoyance lacing her voice.

Arthur made a face, as if he wished he really didn't know Merlin. "He's my servant, he must have followed me here. I knew nothing about it - "

"Kill him," Annis ordered casually, her men quick to comply with her command.

"Wait, please, let him go," Arthur said with frustration. "He's just…" Arthur said, looking at Merlin. "…a simple-minded fool."

"That is, two favors, you've asked of me this night, Arthur Pendragon," Annis informed him, going to sit on her throne.

Annis surveyed the both of them, before saying "Very well, you shall have your trial by combat. Announce your champion by noon tomorrow."

Arthur dipped his head respectfully. "Thank you, your highness."

"And take your fool with you," she spat.

The two of them were quick to leave the Caerleon encampment, walking through the forest back to the Camelot battlements. As soon as they were far enough away, Merlin snapped, "A simple-minded fool?"

"Oh, I was being kind, believe me," Arthur snapped back in kind.

"Being kind?" Merlin asked. "You call the last dragonlord — who has been saving your sorry arse for almost a decade, I might add — You call him a simple minded fool?" When Arthur said nothing, Merlin continued. "We're called lords for a reason, Arthur."

"I don't care if you're Emrys!" Arthur exclaimed. "You're still a simple-minded fool sometimes!"

Merlin froze stock still for a second. "Who's Emrys?" He choked out, doing his very best to play it cool. Chances are, it was nothing.

"A figure of druidic prophecies," Arthur said. "Foretold to unite the lands of Albion and return magic, just something Percival told me." he trailed off dismissively.

Arthurs eyes were focused squarely on Merlin now, as his breaths evened out. "You almost got me killed in there, you know?"

"Me?" Merlin asked incredulously, previous panic forgotten. "You seem to be doing a pretty good job of it yourself."

"What is wrong with you?" Arthur exclaimed, turning around to face Merlin. "Why can you never just let me be?"

"I'm your friend!" Merlin insisted. "I was looking out for you. It's saved your skin in the past before," Merlin said, wiggling his finger at Arthur.

Arthur sighed, frustrated. "I appreciate that you're trying to help, and I _even_ appreciate that it may have been helpful in the past. But I'm the king now, Merlin, and - "

"Not this," Merlin said, exasperated. "I knew you'd be like this."

"Like what," Arthur asked, indignant.

Merlin raised his arms into the air and lowered his voice a pitch artificially to make fun of Arthur. "I'm King now, I can't have any friends, I must be alone - "

"Well I must," Arthur said. "Don't make fun of it," he said, pointing at Merlin.

"That's a load of bull," Merlin said bluntly. "You may be the highest power now instead of the second highest power, but how in the world does that change the fact that you'll need your friends? If anything, you'll need us more now!" Merlin exclaimed.

Arthur merely pursed his lips and walked back to the camp, Merlin following him with annoyance written all over his features.

—

"But sire, we can win this battle, I know it." Leon insisted. The knights of the round table and more stood alongside him as they all faced Arthur in his tent the next morning.

"I don't doubt it, but at what cost?" Arthur asked. "How many men would be slaughtered?" His voice was laden with reason.

Aggravaine surveyed the situation as Elyan said, "And what if we were to lose this trial? We can't give up our land," he insisted. Elyan knew more than most in the room how much people depended on their land for survival

"That's the deal I've struck," Arthur said. "I believe it to be fair. I'll stand by it." Merlin looked on, proud of Arthur as he held his ground in this decision.

"Well then," Aggravaine said promptly from the corner. "All that remains is for you to choose your champion."

Percival quickly stepped forward. "It would be a privilege, sire," he said, Elyan chasing him to Arthur's side. "Sire," he said as well, agreeing with Percival. Soon, the rest of the knights were stepping forward volunteering.

"There can only be one choice," Arthur said, holding up a hand to stop the flow of people. "One choice which is just and honorable. This fight's mine."

The knights looked between themselves with worry, worry about what they would do if Arthur was killed. Merlin too was skeptical of the decision, realizing how risky it was even if Arthur himself couldn't. But both Arthur and Merlin saw Aggravaine's pleased smile in the corner.

After everyone else left the tent, Arthur turned to Merlin. "Did you see…" he said, trailing off.

"Yeah," Merlin said, knowing he was referring to Aggravaine. "Morgana is definitely going to try and take advantage of this," he said.

"Well, all we can do is stay on the lookout," Arthur said. "The fight is at noon, and that gives him a couple of hours to try something. Keep your eye on him."

Merlin nodded as he left the tent, to do exactly that. He prepared for the trial by running around, doing errands for Arthur as he tailed Aggravaine. He walked out of his personal tent and over to Arthur's with a renewed sense of urgency, Merlin supposing Morgana had somehow contacted him. He watched as Aggravaine grabbed Arthur's sword and left, thinking himself unnoticed. Merlin went to find Arthur immediately.

"Aggravaine just took your sword and made for the woods," he informed his King so that no one would hear. "I think they may mean to enchant it."

"I can always use another sword," Arthur whispered back. "Thank you for letting me know. Keep your eye on him until the trial actually begins."

"Of course," he said, leaving Arthur to his paperwork and his preparations.

After Aggravaine returned the sword, nothing seemed amiss, and so the morning wore on until it was time for the trial. Merlin was strapping Arthur's armor on before the event.

"Not too tight, Merlin, you don't want to kill me before I've even started," Arthur complained as Merlin fastened Arthur's armor on.

"Sorry," Merlin replied, a slight smile on his face.

Arthur turned around once Merlin was done, and took the ring off of his finger. "If this day should prove to be my last, give this to Gunivere," he said, putting it in Merlin's hand.

"Of course," Merlin said dutifully. After a couple moments nervous silence, Merlin said "Arthur, do you really think this is worth the risk? You're king now, Camelot needs _you_," he said, emphasizing the word, "…alive."

Arthur considered Merlin a couple seconds before saying, "I don't know what will happen. But I know in my heart I've made the right decision." He said, smiling and sure of himself.

"Well whatever happens out there…" Merlin said, clicking his tongue. Merlin knew that Arthur would not die out there - Merlin would never let it happen. His main concern was that he may have to make a spectacle out of it, with Morgana so close.

Arthur pinched his eyebrows and said "You're not about to start crying on me, are you?"

"No," Merlin said, turning to Arthur. "Just, eh, good luck," he said, laughing.

Arthur considered Merlin with a smile on his face. "Thank you old friend," he said, gripping Merlin's arm in a sign of respect that was rare from the self-absorbed prince - now king.

"It is time, my lord," Aggravaine said, walking into the tent.

"Very well," Arthur said, squaring his shoulders.

"Is all in readiness?" Aggravaine asked.

Arthur turned to Merlin. "Merlin?" he asked.

Merlin had been careful to hide Arthur's backup sword in his usual sheath, and so meant it when he said, "Ready." Arthur hitched the sheath on his armor, being sure to keep the true blade hidden from Aggravaine as he walked out onto the field.

"Right then," he said, walking out of the tent and to the battle.

Arthur saw the gargantuan man waiting for him, a man that was at least six and a half feet tall. His shoulders were twice as wide as Arthur's, and he wielded a greatsword as if it were a toy. Merlin looked down at the Caerleon champion with concern, and Arthur regarded him with trepidation as he growled at him like an animal.

Arthur struck first, setting the spar off. His speed matched his foe's strength, and the battle was evenly matched for a couple minutes, each matching the other blow for blow. When Arthur fell, he scraped his face and angered him more.

"This has gone on long enough," Morgana said to Annis. "I've enchanted Arthur's sword. It holds the weight of a thousand ages. No one could bear it for long." She activated the enchantment, and saw it did not take effect.

"It seems your enchantment has gone wrong," Annis said lightly, as if she were unconcerned it had.

"I cannot believe it!" She growled. "My spy must have grabbed the wrong sword," she said angrily.

"Indeed," Annis agreed, watching the battle continue.

It remained evenly matched, but the Caerleon champion was slowly gaining the upper hand. Arthur's strength was fading, and Merlin knew he had to act before he lost. "Ecg ætstande!" he murmured, and Gwaine shot him a glance when the foe's sword shot to the ground and remained immobile. This gave Arthur the chance to corner his foe on the ground, and instead of killing him he plunged the sword into the ground next to his head.

A great cheer erupted from Camelot's knights, and Annis set out to greet Arthur on his side of the field. She climbed up the cliff face to greet the opposing king.

"You are victorious, Arthur Pendragon," she said. "And you may rest assured that I will comply absolutely with the terms of our agreement. My army will be gone by nightfall." She said, a strange sort of happiness in her tone.

"Thank you, your highness," Arthur replied, grabbing her arm in respect. "I forgive you for everything that has happened between us, and I hope you can do the same for me."

"Tell me something," Annis requested. "You spared my champion. And you have forgiven me. Why?"

"Because it's not victory I seek, it is peace. I hope that today will mark a new beginning for our kingdoms." Arthur said, complete sincerity in his voice.

"There is something about you, Arthur Pendragon. Something which gives me hope for us all." she said, regarding Arthur with amazement in her eyes as she turned to walk away.

Merlin walked up to Arthur. "You completely forgave her," Merlin said, just as surprised.

Arthur turned to Merlin. "I was angry, so angry, at first. But I realize that seeking revenge, seeking to even the score, will only bring more bloodshed. I do not think I will ever like her because of what she did, but I will not hold it against her entire kindgom."

Merlin nodded, smiling because he was proud of Arthur.

—

They rode into Camelot, the people cheering because of the victory against Caerleon and the peace that Arthur brought. Banners hung from the rafters, and people waved streamers behind Arthur's horse.

"You're a hero," Merlin said, catching up to Arthur after they got through the crowd.

"Thank you Merlin," Arthur said honestly.

"Not to me, to your people," Merlin clarified, a smile playing on his face.

"Right. You think different?" Arthur clarified.

"Maybe I know something they don't," Merlin said, grinning.

"Which is?" Arthur said, now skeptical.

"You know," Merlin said, looking behind him to make sure nobody was close. "That you're a cabbage head."

"Maybe," Arthur said, regarding Merlin as if he were the strangest man in the world. Last of the dragonlords, two dragons at his command, and he consented to being someone's manservant for a living. "But no more than you," he retorted, smiling as the two of them walked into the castle.

—

**And Uther died! I will miss his cries of "Sorcery!"****That always amused me. I wanted to keep him alive a year or two longer, but the will of Albion told me it was not possible. What are you gonna do.**

**I tried to alleviate some poor writing and continuity by editing when scenes happened. This shaved an entire two days off of their journey, but if you keep track of the actual timelines, what the characters say vs. when it happens is a wreck.**

**I always wondered why it was Morgana never just strolled on into the castle with her magical powers and just went and stabbed everyone. I suppose it was timing; she needed to do it when she had the army to reinforce her victory. And now she had queen Annis's. **

**Arthur took a lot of the blame for Uther because back then, there was a huge emphasis on family ties. The sins of the father really were the sins of the son.**


End file.
